Villains High: The Second Sin
by Emersonian
Summary: Drama, action, and adventure returns to our beloved school for villainous and antiheroic teenagers. New characters are coming, and with them, more suspense. Join the adventure as the world of Villains High in Villainapolis expands! :)
1. Kory's Heylin Issue

Villains High: Kory's Heylin Issue

Spring break was finally over and students were going back to school. For most normal students, they were either unexcited or jumping with joy: they were unhappy about leaving their fun activities and going back to boring classes, or they were excited to reunite with their friends and talk for hours about the awesome stuff they did during the holidays.

For the students of Villains High, the infamous high school for the offspring of villains and antiheroes located in Villainapolis, this was pretty much the system, except when it came to talking about their holidays. Whenever _those_ were discussed, they went from enjoyable shopping trips at the Villainapolis Mall to out-of-town family vacations to wreak havoc and spread evil in innocent towns.

"Hey, Kory!" Macy and Haya were about to head to class together until they stumbled upon Kory picking up items from her locker. At first, they didn't see much of her because her locker's door was shielding her, but the moment she poked her head out to look at her friends, the daughters of Macbeth and Haya yelped.

"Great Attila, what happened to you?" Haya pointed at Kory. "How'd you end up with your hair reaching all the way to your feet and wolf fur on your shirt's collar? Did Guggen finally crack and make you go hunting for fur for Criminal Design?"

"No." Kory shook her head. "I went with my dad to the Ragnarok Festival at Jotunheim and had such a blast!" She chuckled nervously at the sight of her giant ponytail. "Then again, I may have had a case of giant's growth. Everytime I go back to my dad's realm, I always grow an area of myself."

"Really?" Macy asked. "Aside from your hair, you look normal. But what's with the wolf fur?"

"Relax, it's fake." Kory pulled out two more books from her locker. "Carmine would kill me if it was real. Oh, wait 'til you see this!" Kory pulled out one last thing from her locker and showed it off to her friends, who had to lean over to get a better look.

"It's...a box," Macy arched an eyebrow at the small, caramel brown wooden box hardly bigger than a Rubik's Cube with peculiar black symmetrical iris patterns. The lid had a red-and-black yin-yang symbol painted right at the core.

Haya was the first to give an agitated reaction. "Great Attila, it's an Asian puzzle box! Where the heck did you find it?"

"It was one of the prices at this stand of throwing mistletoe at the Balder dummy back at the Ragnarok festival. I was going to wait until I showed it to you before opening..."

"DON'T OPEN IT!" Haya yanked the box away from Kory's hands before the latter could open it.

"What's the big deal?" Kory asked. "If you wanted to open it yourself, you could just ask!"

"Kory, you're a demigoddess!" Haya tapped the former's forehead with her knuckles. "Since you know and believe in ancient legends, you have to know that Asian puzzle boxes are always used to trap evil spirits in them. Unlocking one of them could be catastrophic!"

"I thought that was Pandora's Box," Macy said.

"Macy, get real. Greco-Romans aren't the only ones with enchanted boxes." Haya turned back to Kory. "Look, Kory, you have to make sure that this box _never_ gets open!"

"What do you recommend? That I leave it in my locker and wait until lunch break to ask Koutí Epimetheus if she knows anything on how to keep it safe?" Kory took the box back in her hands.

"Yeah, after the incident that happened with Sean breaking into her locker and opening her box of sins, I say cross that idea off." Macy shook her head. "Here's a thought. Kory and I both have Spiritual Villainy during second period. Maybe we could ask the teacher for advice on keeping...Yeah, now that I think about it, what kind of evil spirit do you think is in that box?"

"Probably the ancient kind that is best to remain locked up," Haya said.

"C'mon, we'll be late for class." Kory shoved the box into her backpack and headed for class with her friends, unaware that the box glowed ominously with a silent cackle.

 _During first period_

There were times were Kory really wished that she hadn't made the vow to harm teachers with her Nordic powers and amulets.

Out of all the things Professor Count Olaf could come up with for the first day back from spring break, he had to go with an evil 'Show and Tell'. Apparently, he had come up with the idea of giving his returning Evil Drama Class students the 'pop quiz slash assignment' of showing an item they had collected over the spring break and talking about it in front of the class, lest they wanted to get an A for failing.

 _I just had to be born from the god of mischief_ , Kory mentally grumbled as she watched her classmates coming to the stage of their amphitheater classroom and showing the little items they brought. Much to her relief, hardly anyone brought their items, resulting in several A-s. Those who managed to get pictures of their items on their phones or actually brought them with them (which frankly, they were just gift shop worthy trinkets) got graded in the C area.

 _Now what? I got nothing from my spring break except_... A bad idea hit Kory's brain and she quickly looked through her bag. Her puzzle box was still cuddled between her books and pouch of charms. _Haya told me to never open it. I guess as long as I_ _ **show**_ _it, there's no harm._

"Next up in line!" Professor Olaf announced as he sat dramatically on his desk. "Kory? Anything you'd like to show us about your spring break?"

"I might." Kory sighed and grabbed the box, holding it close to her as she walked down the steps and up on the stage, facing the other dozen of students who formed her Evil Drama class. She took a deep breath and revealed her box. Professor Olaf was the first to react by screaming and jumping on his desk in fright.

"AN ASIAN PUZZLE BOX?" He yelped. "Kory Lokisia, where on earth did you find this priceless artifact of doom?"

"At the Ragnarok Fest back in Jotunheim," Kory said uneasily.

"Looks like one of those cheap thrift shop students," Hannah South scoffed. Kory found herself giving a spiteful look at Hannah while the other students rolled their eyes in mutual annoyance. Daughter of Prince Hans from the Southern Isle, Hannah took every liberty to act like the spoiled, bratty princess she was whose desires for attention and ego made her want to brag that she was far better than anyone else. That princess was a mere mortal with no real talent other than being an alpha bitch that managed to annoy everyone that Penna De Mort herself had to cover her ears with headphones playing the sweet melody of people screaming in agony rather than hear Hannah rant on.

"Be careful what you say, Hannah!" The teacher spoke sternly as he stood up from his hiding spot and walked towards Kory and held out his hand. "I'm sorry, Kory, but the puzzle box must be confiscated. It's too dangerous."

"But I was planning on showing it to my Spiritual Villainy teacher to ask him what I should do with it since Haya told me that I should never open it or I'll end up releasing the entrapped spirit!" Kory protested.

"And she's not wrong." The professor agreed. "But nevertheless..."

"Oh, please!" Hannah rolled her eyes and got off her seat to head towards the stage. "How do you even know it's an actual spiritual prison and not some sort of deceiving junk that a slippery peasant just swindled you with? Wouldn't opening it justly confirm whether it's real or not?"

"Didn't you listen to Professor Olaf and Kory?" Karlos Python spun his fingers near his temples to make the cuckoo gesture. "If you end up opening the box and it _does_ end up being real, you'd be unleashing a spirit who could do gods know what to Villainapolis!"

"Oh, rubbish! If my dad can handle talking snowmen and ice queens, I can handle one non-existing spirit!" Hannah rudely snatched the box from Kory and against the latter's and the teacher's begging, she opened the box and shook it upside down.

Nothing.

"See?" She snorted. "It's just a..."

The box suddenly ejected itself out of Hannah's grasp by erupting a giant blast of green smoke. It sent the box flying to the nearest wall mask, crushing both the mask and the box in the process. Once the wooden shards hit the ground, the green smoke started to move and shift into a smoky human skeleton. As the green muscles started to appear, the 'thing' let out a silent hissing that turned into a maniac's cackle until the 'thing' finally grew clothes and hair. The green flames that came from the creature's body evaporated, leaving a teenager boy in a purple ancient swing coat with mystical tentacle motifs, cyan mini harem pants, purple Chinese slippers, and purple fingerless gloves. He just stood there, his head dangling down and his blood red hair hung messily over his face until he used his hand to flip his hair and bring up his head, revealing his overall shoulder length red hair with curled ends, tanned skin, green eyes, and black facial markings that made him look like he was crying black tears with rectangular ends.

" _Ha!_ " He exclaimed in dramatic victory.

"Congratulations, South!" Kory punched Hannah on the arm, causing the princess to yelp in pain. "Here's your non-existing spirit!"

Hannah gulped and chuckled nervously while Kory, the teacher, and the rest of the class gave her murderous glares. "Oops?"

" _Scored one point for classic mortal stupidity and temptation!_ " The boy floated away to the nearest evil. " _Now if you'll excuse me, I have_ _ **actual**_ _evil to spread!_ " He kicked the window, turning the glass into sand, and flew away cackling into the thundering morning. As his laughter disappeared into the distance, Professor Olaf looked at both Kory and Hannah angrily.

"Since you two brought the puzzle box and unleashed the spirit, prepare to face certain expulsion if you don't catch him and lock him up!"

 _Later, at the library_

"I can't believe that you released the spirit!" Haya kept scolding Kory. After the incident, Kory had instantly texted her friends, the other members of the Dark Rulers band, and dragged Hannah angrily by the arm towards the library where the former instantly pulled out any book she could find related to ancient spirits while the latter indifferently filed her nails until the others came.

"Hey, I was merely _showing_ it so that I wouldn't get a bad grade until Miss Better-At-Mouthing-Off made me prove it was real by opening it herself!" Kory snapped as she flicked through the books.

"Way to go, Hannah!" Macy glared at her fellow princess. "Thanks to your ego, a spirit's out there doing gods know what!"

"So what?" The brat shrugged. "We deal with evil things all the time...AAH!" She yelped when Kory grabbed her by the dress and forced her to stare at her green eyes glowing with anger.

"Listen...carefully, you posh freak! If we, including _you_ , don't undo what _you_ have created, then you can start counting the days until Villains High, Villainapolis, and everything else disappears, and soon enough you'll be the one forced to chew on her own nails and drink your own saliva and sleep in rags _because that's all you'll have left!_ "

Hannah gulped in fear at the idea of living like a poor peasant. She threw away her nail file and put her gloves back on. "OK! Let's find info!"

"Yay ahead of you ladies!" Xaos Sethson, Kory's beloved boyfriend and son of Seth, held out an old manuscript. "Behold the Guide to Mystical Containers Throughout History, and guess what, they have a chapter for all enchanted boxes built since ancient times, including Asian puzzle boxes."

"Sounds handy if you want to store your jewelry," Macy commented. Xaos put the manuscript onto the table and opened it to the chapter of ancient boxes, where he flipped through the context organized in alphabetical order until he reached 'puzzle box'.

"OK, the puzzle box was caramel brown, had black iris symbols on the sides, and a red-and-black yin-yang symbol on the lid," Kory told Xaos. "Can you find that?"

"Anything for you, angel." He said with a flirtatious smirk, making her blush a bush, Macy giggle, and Hannah and Haya gag. "Found it... and we're in big trouble."

"Why? What does it say?" Hannah asked.

"Well it says that while it's true puzzle boxes contain evil spirits, they are mainly used to trap and seal dangerously powerful creatures called 'Heylin Witches'," Xaos explained as he read through the pages. "If the book is correct, the puzzle box that Kory had was concealing Hanlin Wuya..."

"Oh boy," Haya freaked out. "I heard the stories of him in my clan. He's the son of Wuya, the most dangerous Heylin Witch to have existed because of her godly powers. They say he can easily transform himself from human to ghost and vice versa, manipulate the environment around him, give sentience to the insentient, and create so many evils that he can bring ten thousand years of darkness upon the world!"

"That's a lot of darkness." Kory bit her lip.

"Hang on. If this Hanlin freak is all powerful, then how did he get sucked into the box in the first place?" Hannah asked.

"The text say that after his mom lost a battle to a powerful ancient warrior and got trapped in another puzzle box, the warrior hunted down Hanlin because he feared Hanlin would follow in his mother's footsteps, and gave him the same fate as Wuya." Xaos quickly checked the manuscript's publishing date. "This thing was published during the Spanish Inquisition, which I'm guessing means that Hanlin must have been stuck in that box _way_ longer."

"Fifteen hundred years, actually." Haya pointed out.

"Forget the years! How do we capture him?" Hannah exclaimed. "If he doesn't get his leash on soon, Lokisia and I will be expelled!"

"Gee, the priorities you have when the end is near." Macy rolled her eyes.

"Wait a minute. A fifteen hundred year old Heylin witch's son?" Kory turned to Haya. "Isn't Safír Dragon around that age?"

"Yeah, and he's the son of the Sapphire Dragon!" Haya snapped her fingers. "Excellent idea! We can ask him to use his fire to turn Hanlin into sapphire until we can figure up how to seal him again!"

"But..." Hannah hesitated.

"We'd better hurry." Xaos stashed the book back with the others. "Last I heard, Safír's playing hookie with Kit Bogan at the Villainapolis Mall. Ten golden blights say Hanlin will went to spread evil there first."

"Then let's go!" Kory and her friends started to make a run for it.

"Wait! You don't even know if..." Hannah continued to protest.

"The last time you protested, you cost me one puzzle box and an ancient wiz boy to escape!" Kory viciously told her. "I'm not going to repeat that same mistake!" And so they left, leaving the upset princess ignored.

 _Around eleven_

No broken mirrors. No debris. No cars running at the sight of a black cat.

Translation: the Villainapolis Mall still looked in one piece when Kory and her friends managed to reach it after about an hour of being stuck in traffic. Haya was still ticked that they had to wait until the public circulator bus finally got them where they wanted to be after going in circles throughout Villainapolis. She still complained about how it would have been easier if Xaos and Kory used one of their amulets to teleport them all the way to the mall, but the amulets are unpredictable. The last time the demigods misused them, they ended up in Salem instead of gym class and almost got stuck in a bonfire.

"Let's hope we can find Safír before it's too late," Kory decided when they reached the front doors. "Here's the plan. We split in teams of two, one mortal and one demigod. Xaos, you go with Macy to find Safír. Haya and I will try to track down Hanlin and keep him isolated until he's gone to Sapphire Ville."

They nodded their heads. While Xaos and Macy headed for the 2nd floor of the mall, where they knew they'd find Safír coming out of the movies with Kit, Kory and Haya started their research on the first floor. The entire place was full of people ages twenty to sixty shopping in all the most insane shops imaginable, relaxing in the massage seats under the artificial palm hanging trees, or attacking the nearest ice cream shop with cash.

"This would have been much easier if I had something physical of his to use for tracking," Haya grumbled. "How do we find an ancient Heylin Witch craving world domination and human slavery in a mall?"

"He was pretty dramatic when he got released." Kory pondered. "Hanlin must be one to crave for attention. I bet if _I_ wanted to be recognized after fifteen hundred years of imprisonment, I'd cover myself with flamboyance..."

A sound of breaking glass, screeching sirens, and dogs barking echoed from the other side of the mall. People screamed 'Fire! Fire!' at the sight of the green smoke trailing its way above them. The girls quickly nodded at each other and ran at the direction of the smoke, tracing its path until they saw it pouring out a black marble store. Petrified dogs and guards were positioned at the entrance and literally looked... petrified in terror.

"Oh gods..." Kory gasped.

"Hanlin's broken into the Tamatoa Jewel Imperium!" Haya ran in first with Kory following. They walked through the displays of encased statues made of pure jewelry, tiaras and necklaces made of authentic gemstones, really pure crystal balls, and extremely rich diamond wedding rings that would make your grandmother go broke for her money. Whoever was in charge of the store must have abandoned his shift and run out in fright. Otherwise, the place was intact on the inside

"I don't get it." Kory frowned. "Why is the place still clean if Hanlin attacked it?"

"I agree. He must be looking for..." Haya gasped. "He must be looking for a..."

"A Shen Gong Wu."

The girls turned and saw their friends coming in with Safír Dragon and Kit. "One just activated somewhere in the mall. The Crown of Solomon," Safír said. "Whoever uses it can make any of his wishes granted. My guess is that Hanlin will go after it so that he can wish to have his full powers back and permanently become solid."

"Wasn't he solid already?" Kory raised a finger.

"Not quite. You see, when Dashi created the puzzle boxes to trap in Wuya and her son, he enchanted them so that in case they were ever released, they'd be nothing but harmless ghosts who'll need others' physical hands to find them a way to turn from ghostly to solid.

"However they only turn into ghosts when they are willingly released or the box is opened. If the box gets severed or destroyed while they are still in it, the effects will accidently damage the. Because his box was destroyed before he could morph into a ghost, Hanlin is an on-and-off part-ghost, part solid Heylin Witch with decreased powers."

"So he's not fully super powered?" Kit asked.

"I'd say right now he's on the 'beyond-average' level of magic like most of the sorcerers at Villains High." Safír shrugged. "But if he gets his hands on the Crown of Solomon..." He looked around the jewelry shop. "Wow. He's not as messy as we expected."

"Do you think you can turn Hanlin into a sapphire statue?" Xaos admired one of the ruby samurai statues. "I bet they'd sell him here for a good price."

"Sorry, but he'd have to be fully solid for me to transform him, and if I did, my Shen Gong Wu genetics would make me increase the need for power and turn whoever I run into as sapphire people. Why do you think I got cuffed with this soot bracelet to control my powers when I first came here?" He poked at the black cuff bracelet he wore on his right arm.

"If that won't work, then maybe the first thing we should do is make sure he doesn't get his hands first on the Crown of Solomon." Kory got out of the store and back in the mall. "If Hanlin knows that it's in the mall, he'll go reckless the closer he gets to it."

"Like my brothers when they lose something in their room!" Macy giggled. Just then, more explosions came out throughout the mall. Like a domino effect, they were followed by the sounds of glass breaking, walls crushing, people screaming, the speakers ordering everyone to evacuate, and somebody car honking viciously before a crash and a scream 'MY ICE CREAM!' were followed.

Kit quickly jumped and used her frog-like fingers and toes to climb up the walls. After two minutes of observing, she came back down. "He's busted into almost every single shop in the 1st and second floor. The third floor's still good and I don't think he went through the food court."

"Let's go." They dodged their way through the crowds of screaming people and briefly gasped when saw that some of them were turned to stone. It was like going through a Gorgon's garden until they reached the food court. The restaurants were all void of employees, some reeking with the stench of overcooked burning meat. Flies made their way to the abandoned food trays that relaxed on the tables. The only things that looked undamaged were the artificial palm hanging trees and the black fountain with, ironically, the Weird Sisters' apparitions' statues. The oil that spilled from the fountain was the only sound emitted throughout the place.

Safír held out his nose and sniffed. "It's here. The Crown of Solomon, I can smell it."

"Is it that crown?" Macy suddenly pointed at one of the fountain statues, particularly at the one of the seven-headed king. One of middle heads bared a crown brighter and cleaner than the others, with obsidian irises and crimson rubies.

"The Crown of Solomon!" Safír gasped.

A booming sound came from the hallways and in came Hanlin Wuya, standing on a cloud of green smoke. He cackled at the group below him. " _Thanks for the spoiler, losers!_ "

"Quick, we can't let him reach the Crown of Solomon!" Safír shouted.

Haya stepped up first by throwing a dozen of her throwing knives at Hanlin. Normally it would have worked if she wanted to pin somebody on a wall, but because Hanlin could phase himself as he pleased, his body was a mass of air that let the knives go right through his guts and landed on a nearby tree. " _Next?_ "

An idea struck Macy and her eyes darted around the food court until she found a foamless fire extinguisher. She kicked on its glass case and grabbed the heavy trinket. When Hanlin started to float his way towards the fountain, she sprayed at him. He yelled when water hit him and screamed as if he had been hit with boiling tar instead. "Guys, water weakens him!" Macy shouted.

" _Only in ghost form!_ " Hanlin's body glowed and stopped being see through. Now physical, he waved his hands and formed a water ball from the blast, sending it right back at Macy. The princess had little time to scream before his ball hit her and petrified her in ice.

"Macy!" Kory shouted.

Hanlin exploited her distraction by kicking her in the back and using her as a trampoline to make his jump for the Crown of Solomon. It seemed like it would be the end of the world when his hands reached out for it...

Until another hand grabbed the artifact at the same time as him.

"H...Hannah?" Kory gasped. Her friends were as shocked as her when they saw the princess who had started it all while Hanlin looked angry as ever.

"Hanlin Wuya, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" She pulled out a brown comb out of her dress. "I wager the Tangled Web Comb!"

"What in Osiris is she doing?" Xaos asked Safír.

"She's challenging him in a showdown. If she wins, she wins the Crown of Solomon and the Shen Gong Wu wagered. Loser gets nothing."

" _Fine_!" Hanlin searched through his own clothes and pulled out a spider-like gun. " _I wager my Silk Spitter!_ "

"The game is Honest Tyrant," Hannah declared. "Last one standing wins!"

" _LET'S GO!_ " The two contestants shouted. " _XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!_ "

The ground suddenly and the tiled floor started to break itself apart while the fountain started to grow in size.

"What's happening?" Kit shouted as a bright light came and blinded them.

"It's a Xiaolin Showdown! This stuff happens!" Safír shouted back.

The bright light disappeared and the teens, excluding Safír, dropped their jaws. The food court and the mall itself had completely disappeared, leaving them standing in dispersed black and white tiles that floated in the middle of a blue ethereal atmosphere. While the group was standing in one tile, they saw that Hannah and Hanlin were both standing in separate tiles among a group of hovering tiles that circulated a giant Buddha made out of the fountain's statues, where the Crown of Solomon stood. Each tile was labeled 'TRUE' on the white side and 'FALSE' on the black side.

"Well, you don't see that every day," Xaos said.

"Wow. Hannah is challenging Hanlin in a truth or lie contest!" Safír whistled. "Can't wait to see what happens!"

" _GONG YI TEMPAI!_ " The contestants shouted.

"Tangled Web Comb!" Hannah held out her Shen Gong Wu. The comb's teeth turned into long ropes that extended upward and reached for the first tile above her, swinging herself upward. Just when she landed on the tile, Hanlin shouted " _Silk Spitter!_ " Spider webs were sent right at Hannah's feet, gluing her to the tile.

" _Hannah South, you have little friends because you crave for superiority. True or false?_ " He questioned.

"Of course I want to be superior, and I don't need people for it! True!" The silk on Hannah's feet dissolved and she got up the same way her tile started rising three feet up.

"I get it now!" Kory grinned. "If your opponent traps you on a tile, you have to answer whatever question you end up with, and if you're correct, your tile rises! Way to go, Hannah!"

"But what if you lie?" Haya questioned. Right on cue, a ticked Hanlin tried jumping his way up through the tiles that constantly moved until Hannah used the Tangled Web Comb to make him trip and miss, leaving him to hang on a tile with the possibility of falling to his doom.

"Hanlin Wuya, is true that you seek world domination because you think people judge you for being weaker than your mother?" Hannah shouted.

" _Keep dreaming! False!_ " The tile did not agree with him and spun, making Hanlin look like a hamster tripping in its rolling wheel. He got lucky to land on the tile beneath him, but since the previous one disintegrated, he had to find another way to get up.

"I guess that answers it." Haya shrugged. They continued to watch as the two opponents used their Shen Gong Wu to either bring themselves up to the higher tiles or make the other trip onto a tile so that they'd be forced to answer a question. Each question was thrown as an attempt to push their buttons. So far, Hannah was the one on a role, which kind of impressed the others. They had never seen the snooty princess so daring to admit her own flaws. Hanlin, on the other hand, turned out to have a bigger ego that refused to let him accept defeat. He finally cracked.

" _Silk Spitter! Heylin Power!_ " His weapon glowed with green and spit the silk all over the remaining tiles floating above him and Hannah. The moment they all got stuck in one green spider web, it caused a chain of explosions, destroying all the tiles except for one. One more stand on it and they could reach the Crown of Solomon.

They swung their way to the final tile. Kory could taste herself biting her nails as the two confronted each other on the ultimate questioning.

" _Hannah South, you purposely ignored your teacher and Kory Lokisia's warnings and inadvertently released me out of jealousy. True or false?_ "

They watched Hannah South bite her lips and feared that she would decide to lie to hide her pride, but she risked humiliation and said sourly. "Yes."

The tile didn't budge. "And what about you, Hanlin? Were you mainly looking to escape the puzzle box because you thought that without your mother around, you could be whoever you wanted to be?"

This caused Hanlin to hesitate. " _I... I... I GIVE UP!_ " Hanlin let go of the tile, which lifted Hannah up to the Crown of Solomon for her to grab it while Hanlin fell into the abyss. Reality warped back to the normal food court and mall and Hannah landed with the Tangled Web Comb, Silk Spitter, and Crown of Solomon in her hands.

"Nice job, Hannah." Kory dared to congratulate the princess. Hanlin, in the meantime, was standing on his knees and looking like a broken puppy.

" _I guess you're gonna wish me back into the puzzle box_?" He asked, broken.

Hannah pouted in thought. After a few quick glances at the others, she smirked. "I think I have a better punishment for you. Crown of Solomon!"

 _Later in the afternoon, back in Villains High_

A month of detention and helping the janitor mop the floors after school. It was better than being expelled, but it was quite a punishment for Kory and Hannah to mop the floors of the entire school.

" _Look at me, I'm a flying witch!_ " Hanlin laughed as he surfed onto the floor with his mop like a broomstick. Speciosus Narissa chased him in their little game of 'mop surf'.

"So let me get this straight," Gilliard Moss asked Kory and Hannah. "You wished the magic crown to give Hanlin the punishment he deserves, and it came up with turning him into full flesh, leave him with only a quarter of his powers, and force him to go to school?"

"After living under the shadow of his mother, he just wanted to be himself," Hannah shrugged. "Isn't that the point of VH? Being who you want to be?"

"I thought you wanted to be an evil ruler just like your dad," Kory said as she mopped the hallway leading to the lockers.

"I do and..." Hannah sighed. "It's just not easy. Hans is an evil ruler who manages to get whatever he wants with charisma and everyone still loves him, but when _I_ try to be manipulative, everyone hates me." She looked at Kory. "That's why I'm... jealous of you. You don't have everything that you want and you don't try to be a villain like your father Loki, and yet everyone loves you."

"Gosh." Kory said. "I didn't know that's how you felt..." She then turned into a casual tone. "But since you got me into such a mess, I'd prefer to stay clear away from the friend zone."

"So we're good?" Hannah said. "Back to hating each other?"

"Yep."

"Phew! What a relief!"

" _Seriously_?" They caught Hanlin sitting on top of the lockers and gagging at the sight as if he were watching a gross sitcom. " _This is what high school's like? Enemies sentimentally making up?_ "

"Well, there is one way for a high school girl to tell a guy that she's mad he destroyed her favorite mall." Kory picked up her bucket full of soap and water and threw it at Hanlin, soaking him to the bone. "A good old bath to get rid of fifteen hundred years of bad stench!"

The others giggled at the scene, even Hannah. She actually enjoyed the drama with her enemies. Then came a small wind that caught her attention. She caught sight of a feminine silhouette standing by the stairs. _You owe me_ , it hissed before spitting smoke out of its nose and disappeared by the time the smoke cleared away like creepy lizards.

*End of Episode*

*Characters Introduced:

Karlos Python, son of Kaa from THE JUNGLE BOOK

Hanlin Wuya, son of Wuya from XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN

Safír Dragon, son of the Sapphire Dragon from XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN

Kit Bogan, daughter of Junk and Stuff from STRANGE MAGIC

To view the characters, go to VILLAINSHIGHROCKS on Deviantart*

*Next Episode: Night of The Living Otterflies*


	2. Night Of The Living Otterflies

Villains High: Night Of The Living Otterflies

"Alright, settle down, you freaks!"

Jessie Joker hammered the teacher's desk with her massive hammer, causing the entire babbling club members to shut up and turn their eyes on her. It was just the end of school when the club finally managed to gather at the empty Devilish Literature classroom for their meeting.

"Thank you," Jessie cleared her throat, "for being here for the annual Villains High Halloween Film-making club. This year, we really need to bring the horror up!" She clapped her hands. The lights turned off while the projector displayed a series of statistics on the board. "Halloween is the one time of year that our club can make profit for VH by producing a horror movie that sells a whole lot of cash in the market! This club has managed to make an improving amount of money throughout the years with our amazing skills..."

"Hear, hear." Everyone nodded, finally agreeing with the one prankster in school who managed to score the position of chief director this year.

"Until _last year_." A thundering boom came as Jessie held out a DVD with the cover depicting cute and cuddly Godzilla sized hybrids of bunnies and raccoons invading a city. "Just to let you know, _INVASION OF THE BUNNACOONS_ was by far the **worst** movie you people have made! Seriously, it burned my eyes more than _SEWER SCALED SUSPENSE!"_

"Hey, we tried to go with our initial idea of doing a movie on a mummy serial killer, but Amelia Hall nearly choked us all to death with one of her monstrosities bear hugs!" Izzy Yzzi protested.

"Yeah, it's a miracle she still hasn't walked through those doors!" Sean Abyss nodded.

"Oh, she WON'T!" Jessie shook her finger. "This time, I made sure that she'll be out of town to a non-existent Cuddle Buddy Convention in Eviladelphia and won't return until after Halloween, which gives us plenty of time to pick a theme for our new movie, direct it, and salvage our reputation!"

They all cheered.

"We have just avoided the end of the world!"

 _Meanwhile, at Bergen's and Troll's just before opening hours_

"That's it! It's the end of the world!" Martin exclaimed as he burst the doors open to the area in the back of Bergen's and Troll's where its sole eight workers gathered before the diner opened. Everyone looked at him in confusion and paused in the middle of the meeting they were having.

"Seriously, Fiske?" Dårlig punched onto the presentation poster pinned on the wall. "You're late to the meeting of B&T's Halloween Brunch Specials and you interrupt it with doomsday alert?"

"Martin, what's wrong?" Ruby got up and ended up being held by the shoulders by her boyfriend.

"It's horrible, it's despicable! It's MY WORST NIGHTMARE!" He said.

"I'll get the nukes." Feige almost got up her chair until everyone except Dårlig looked baffled at her. "What? I keep a bomb in the basement in case I need to nuke the place when Amelia Hall steps inside the diner."

"Martin..." Ruby looked at him.

"It's... my mother." Gilliard gasped in horror behind him. "She... wants you to come over for dinner... tonight."

Gilliard gasped with even more horror and grabbed Martin by the shirt, pulling him away from Ruby. "NOOOOO! How could your dame of a mother find out about your love life? HOW DID SHE BREAK YOU?"

"Wait." Ruby pulled Martin back. "You have a mom? But I thought you lived with just your dad and the valet!"

"It's more complicated." Martin pulled away to get some space. "They're still married and spend time together during their days off and wedding anniversaries, but with their diverse work ethics, they live in two different houses and I'm stuck having to rotate on which house I live in every week."

"You mean that if you lived at your old man's place this week, you live at your mom's the following week?" Minuit guessed.

"Well that would explain why every other week, you'd rather take me out to dinner than take me to your house," Ruby frowned.

"I'm not being mean, but my mother is one of those annoying doting parents who make every opportunity an embarrassing one!" Martin said in defense. "I feared that she'd embarrass me in front of you if you two ever met, but... The valet ratted me out!" Thunder boomed, for some reason. "Any who, my mother found out I'm no longer a celibate bachelor and now she wants to have me and my 'lucky suitor' for dinner at her office in Malhattan!" He noticed Ruby blushing a bit and gave her a small smile.

"Malhattan? That's just across the bay!" Feige exclaimed. "A forty-five minute drive from where we are. When does she expect you over for dinner?"

"My guess? All weekend," Martin sighed.

"ALL WEEKEND?" Dårlig and Ruby both exclaimed.

"But that means we'd miss on Halloween and we promised Feige and Dårlig that we'd work on the night shift for Halloween!" The latter said while the former fainted on the floor.

"Maybe I can get my foster siblings Aspra and Alex to substitute you guys until you come back," Nora said while looking up from the living doodles of butterflies she was drawing on her notepad. "They usually do nothing on Halloween."

"They don't even go trick-or-treating?" Ronilda asked.

"Nope. With Aspra's curse of never-being-believed-except-when-she-lies, my sis has a bad history of neighbors shutting the door on her face for not wanting candy and Alex almost got a lawsuit for using his skates to get all the candy without leaving any for others. Otherwise, they shouldn't be too much trouble for substitution."

Dårlig lifted himself back from his temporary coma and sat down, rubbing his chin in thought. "Well, I suppose that temporary substitutes could encourage more propaganda..." He turned to Martin and Ruby and clasped his hands. "Well I suppose that you guys can take three days off max. I mean, the world's not really gonna end!"

 _An hour later, at an abandoned train station_

Amelia Hall sat on the rotten wooden bench on the outdoor platform of the empty train station, hugging her precious Otterfly plush toy as she waited for any passing train.

This should have been the best day ever for her. Around lunchtime, she had received a special invite via text for a Halloween-themed Cuddle Buddy convention in Eviladelphia and that the next train heading for the city would be leaving shortly from Confederate Station. Amelia had instantly ditched class to run back home while her mother was at work and take all the stuff she needed for the convention and headed for the station in question. But hours had now passed and no train had come. In fact, as time passed, she came to realize that she had been mislead. She had been guided all the way to an abandoned train station, the debris and growing vines should have made it obvious. There were no passengers, no patrol officers, and no cookie stand vendors.

Amelia instantly cried right into her Otterfly plush. "I can't believe I fell for such a trick!" She cried so much, she did not notice a couple shadows spying on her from the stairwell. One of them was Hannah South and the other was the mysterious shadow. _What a perfect opportunity_ , the shadow hissed as it spit more of its smoke.

"You must be joking," Hannah grumbled. "That pink freak wouldn't harm a fly even if she wanted to!"

 _I was talking about the Otterfly_. Before Hannah could say anything, the shadow slithered away like a pack of tiny microscopic lizards that trolled their way towards the bench. Amelia was so caught up in her tears, she failed to notice the shadows making their way towards her toy's beaded eyes, sucking themselves right in it. The otterfly plush suddenly moved and began to fly out of her owner's arms and straight towards the train tracks.

"Hey, where are you going? Come back or you'll get dirty!" Amelia ran after it. Hannah rolled her eyes in disbelief, _You'd thing she'd mostly worry about how her toy came to life than about it getting dirty._ Wondering what the shadow was up to, the princess cautiously sneaked out of her hiding spot to go hide behind a crooked newspaper stand and gasped. It made her remember that this wasn't just any ordinary abandoned train station but the one train station that suffered chemical reactions from experimental train fuel, it got labeled as the one radioactive place in Villainapolis that not even hoboes take shelter in. The train tracks themselves were invaded by puddles of that black chemical, and that was exactly where the toy was diving in. The moment the toy rested on the nearest puddle, Hannah saw the shadows sneaking out to join her and go back to their original form.

 _Watch how a pro wreaks havoc on Halloween_ , the shadow said. They watched as Amelia leaned closer on the platform and screamed when she saw her precious toy getting electrocuted by black bolts emerging from the puddle. Soon enough, the toy twisted its body in impossible angles, spun its head... and finally grew and grew until it looked and sounded like a mutated real-life otter with bat wings, blue fur and sharp claws, and fang-bearing teeth that roared so loudly. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that it was as big as a killer whale!  
The creature wailed and roared. It jumped off the ground, shaking it and making Amelia trip. The moment she got up, she gasped when she saw the direction the giant otterfly was flying at. "He's heading for Villains High! I got to go after it before it gets hurt!" Amelia made a run for the exit. The moment she was out of sight, the other two came out of their hiding spot. "Wow, she _really_ doesn't know how to prioritize!" Hannah said.

 _Good thing I do_ , the shadow snickered. _Step 1 is done, and off we go to Step 2 at Villains High._

 _Later, at Villains High_

Courtesy of before-Halloween sales, it took Amelia a good hour and forty-five minutes to catch a bus that would take her to Villains High. Nightfall had covered the campus and everyone had gone home. This was a good sign to Amelia. If nobody was around, the mutated Otterfly wouldn't get hurt. Speaking of the Devil, where the heck was it?

She looked up in the air. The only thing flying was a flock of ravens. No sign of some sort of flying hybrid between a semi-aquatic mammal and an insect. She hurried to the front door of the school and stopped in her tracks.

"Schmitz, what are you doing?" Amelia frowned when she saw Franz Schmitz, the son of the Red Skull, standing on the janitor's ladder and placing a bucket full of red paint-like substance on the semi-open door.

"None of your business," the buffed blonde boy said. "Shouldn't you be home playing with your dolls?"

"Yeah, about that. Did you happen to see a giant Otterfly?"

Franz lost his balance and fell off the ladder. At the same time, the bucket landed on his head, splashing him with what turned out to be blood. He cussed something in German while throwing the bucket away, amusing Amelia a bit. With that red mask covering half of his face on a regular basis and the blood dripping on him, he looked like a serial killer. "Great! There goes my payback prank for the Halloween Film-making club!"

Amelia froze. A payback prank for the Halloween Film-making club? Now that she thought about it, she had no idea who sent her the invite to the convention in Eviladelphia, and yet she still got it _right_ before she could sign up again for the club. "I can't believe it!" She gritted her teeth. "Those meanies didn't want me to join the club again this year, so they tried to get me out of town! I bet it was Jessie Joker's idea to leave me hanging at the Confederate Station!"

"You went to Confederate Station?" Franz's eyes popped. "Hall, don't you know that's the most illegal radioactive..." He scowled, grabbed her by the collar, and lifted her up to face his deep, stern speaking eyes. " _Don't tell me you played pool with your toy in one of the puddles!_ "

A roaring sound pierced through the silent night and a rumbling sound came from across the school. "Does that answer your question?" Amelia asked calmly. Franz grumbled yet another thing in German and let her go. They pushed the door open and ran their way across the hallways towards the direction that led to the area where the noise came. The moment they reached it, they froze in their tracks. A group of students, the Halloween Film-making club, was gathered by a large hole that damaged a good portion of the walls and created a tunnel right through the rollercoaster entrance the students usually took to go to Potions Chemistry.

"Oh, my mom's gonna murder someone!" Izzy clutched her hair in panic while Sean held a camera up close as if he were filming everything. "That rollercoaster cost a fortune!"

"Hall, don't tell me that your toy went flying into the Potions Chemistry lab!" Franz pushed his way through the others in order to have a better look at the new pit.

"You mean it's one of your abominations, Hall?" Jessie exclaimed.

"Hey, I went to the Confederate Station to go to that Cuddle Buddy convention, which I'm assuming _you_ made up to make sure I wouldn't join your club, and somehow my Otterfly plush flew out of my hands and straight into..."

"The Confederate Station?" Jessie howled and shook Amelia viciously. "There's about ten different train station you could have taken to go to that phony convention and you go to the only one that can mutate your stupid toy?"

"My Otterfly isn't stupid!" Amelia slapped the former's hand away.

"How much damage can _one_ plush toy make?" Junk Bogan, one of the club members, asked. Right on cue, the ground shook and the teens were petrified by the sight of the mutated Otterfly climbing its way out of the pit, its claws scratching the floor and its mouth sucking the contents of a large purple jug its teeth were holding.

"My mom's Formula 37!" Izzy screamed.

Sean, while still filming, used one of his tentacles to engage in a tug-of-war with the Otterfly with the jug for a prize until the beast decided to just give up. It let go of the jug, causing it to make Sean briefly dangle, and flew out into the open air, howling once again.

"I can't believe the radioactive gunk from the Confederate Station turned Hall's Otterfly toy into... _that_ thing!" Jessie was baffled. "The experimental fuel was supposed to boost the trains, not mutate them."

"Well it looks like the fuel boosted my Otterfly into a monster!" Amelia snapped, beginning to lose her daily-cheerful attitude.

Franz turned to Izzy. "Ya have any idea of what Professor Yzma's Formula 37 contained?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's an advanced serum she created for the seniors' Poison Therapy midterm. The purpose was to create a viral disease contagious enough to turn a victim into the animal that bit it," Izzy explained.

"Hold on!" Sean freaked out and looked up from his camera. "Are you saying that people will turn into giant monster Cuddle Buddies if that _thing_ goes around biting people?"

Amelia chuckled nervously while the others just glared at her with bitterness. "So... that means tonight is the night of the living otterfly?"

 _Meanwhile, in Malhattan_

The elevator doors finally opened after the thing reached the thirteenth floor, leading to a hallway full of blue painted walls, purple carpeted floors, and abstract zodiac paintings.

"So, remind me again what your mom does for a living," Ruby told Martin as the two got off the elevator and made their way through the hallway. She looked down nervously at the formal purple dress she burned her allowance just to purchase it. "I really don't want to screw things up."

"Oh, I know you'll be fine." Martin gave her a reassuring smile. "She works full-time as one of the chairman of the League of Sorcerers in Villainapolis and most of the time she's a freelance Simian Witch with my father's taste in monkey domination." They stopped when Martin faced a white door with the nameplate WINTERFIELDS-FISKE staring at them. Martin sighed. "Well, time for my humiliation."

His finger pressed the doorbell. Instead of giving out a normal ringing, it gave a weird jingly tune: " _Winterfields-Fiske Vile-CORPORATIOOOOOOOON_!"

The door opened slowly and the teens were dominated by a giant butler with ape limbs hidden in his black butler outfit. "Homer," Martin gave a small nod.

"Young master," the man said gruffly. "The..." He instantly got pushed aside by a woman in her late thirties to early forties, dressed in a blue-and-teal uniform dress with monkey patterns at the ends of the sleeves and skirt. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun with loose strands reaching her hips, her nails were well trimmed, and her eyes beamed with denim blue.

"Treasure, welcome home!" The woman instantly jumped out and gave Martin a big cuddling hug, making the latter blush in embarrassment: "Hello, Mother."

Ruby couldn't hold back her giggling smirk. Just seeing her boyfriend being smothered on the spot by his mother was amusing. Mrs. Winterfields-Fiske gave some space to Martin and proceeded to shake hands with Ruby. "Well, aren't you the lucky girl who won my son's heart?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ruby nodded.

"Charming!" She led the two inside. "We are going to have the most wonderful time tonight!"

 _Latter, in some street in Villainapolis_

Against their will, teams were made to spread throughout the city to track the mutated Otterfly while Jessie and Izzy went to Confederate Station to fetch a sample of the experimental fuel to find an antidote. While the girls were doing that, Franz was driving his military jeep as fast as he could with Amelia in the passenger seat and Sean still filming.

"If I had known in advance that this was all a prank to keep me from joining the club, I would have simply spliced genes for defense, but no! I have to go after a Cuddle Buddy that can bite somebody else into another Cuddle Buddy!" Amelia said in frustration.

"Concentrate, Hall!" Franz said. "You're the expert on Cuddle Buddies. What kind of places would you go if you were a giant otter and butterfly hybrid?"

"Let me think." Amelia tried to think until out of nowhere, she sang a diabetic, sweet song.

Amy: _Otterfly, otterfly, you're my best friend!_

 _We'll ride rainbows all the way to the end!_

 _Let's munch on some cupcakes sugar rich_

 _And go fishing under the sheep bouncing bridge!_

Franz hit the brakes. Amelia's screeching voice was bugging both his ears and Sean's. "What the hell was **that**?" He demanded.

"The theme song the Cuddle Buddies Corp came up with for the Otterfly," Amelia said. "The German version's actually..." She stopped talking when Franz put a finger over her mouth.

"You're a pink cutie, but if you start singing again, I'll kick you out of my car! Got it?" She nodded and he removed his finger, resuming his driving. "OK, otterflies like rainbows, sugary cupcakes, and fishing under bridges with bouncing sheep."

"Well, they can go _anywhere_ , but those three areas will probably become the most populated if..."

AAAAAAHH!

"That scream came from two blocks away!" Sean said, filming while pointing at a series of miniature flashing coming from the other side of the neighborhood. Franz pulled his car to a left turn and dashed like a racecar, only to hit the brakes again when they found the street to be blocked. A street filled with multiple mutated otterflies chasing people. Even when the townsfolk managed to run back inside, the monsters just proceeded into busting the doors and windows open, dragging the screaming people back outside with their giant hands, and biting them right in the rib cage with those sharp otter fangs. The teens freaked when they saw the bitten victims get electrocuted by black bolts that slowly morphed them into monster otterflies that proceeded to follow the circle of life.

"Hey, those are the same bolts that my toy got electrocuted with when it fell in the puddle!" Amelia said.

"Uh, Hall?" Sean looked away from his camera. "You realize that those bolts are actually _magical_ bolts?"

Frank turned to look at him. "How can you tell those bolts are the work of magic?"

"Trust me, I can tell the difference between scientifically-generated electricity and lightning made put of magic scrap." He pointed at an otterfly successfully transforming an alley cat. "My bet is that the experimental fuel came in contact with some sort of magic. What if... suppose that the only reason the fuel turned Hall's innocent plush toy into a raging beast was because dark magic was used to make evil?"

"That's twisted logic." Franz agreed.

"INCOMING OTTERFLY!" Amelia screamed. One of the beasts flew right at them. Right in the nick of time, Sean jumped off and Franz carried Amelia in his arms and out of the jeep right before the otterfly crushed it into a million pieces. The moment he put her back on the ground, the Otterfly tried to attack again but Franz just pulled out his gun and shot it in the head.

"Quick, inside!" Sean grabbed the two with his tentacles and pulled them inside the nearest building. They instantly made a run for the nearest door leading to the stairs and started running up the flights when Sean's phone rang. "Hello?" He picked. "Really? Seriously? _Oh, you've got to me kidding me!_ OK, I'll ask her. We're running up to the top of a building. From what I've noticed, the otterfly invasion is only flying on the ground level where the most civilians are located. Yeah, we'll stay put!" He hung up his phone. "It was Jessie and Izzy. They're close to finding a cure."

"What's the catch?" Amelia asked as they reached the fifth floor and kept running. The higher they got, the lower the volume of roaring outside became.

"The cure should be able to turn any of those monsters back to his or her original state, but if we want to get rid of all of them at once, we need to spray it on the original one at a tall height!"

"Are you kidding me?" Amelia gagged. Her feet were getting tired once they reached the tenth floor, so Franz carried her once again.

"Hall is right. How the Hell are we going to find the original when these things are spreading faster than a hydra growing two more heads after losing one?" Franz asked.

Amelia rubbed her chin in thought. "My Otterfly isn't like the other ones. Sure, it likes the same stuff, but it also likes _my_ stuff. Cuddle Buddies, knitting, cookies..." Her eyes widened. "I think I might know where the alpha is."

 _Back in Malhattan_

The dinner wasn't so a nightmare in Ruby's perspective. A fancy meal in the woman's eccentric dining room and the two ladies cracking stories together while Martin tried to sink in humiliation, what could be worse?

"It was so nice of you to join us for dinner," Martin's mother said as the servants cleared away the table and brought over the dessert and tea. "Martin did score well."

"Yes," Ruby giggled. "I still remember. Our _official_ introductions weren't done until after he fainted and Gilliard and I had carried him back home."

"He fainted?" The woman turned to her son. "You know I don't like it when you don't tell me about your health issues," she said firmly.

"Mother, I wasn't ill!" Martin scowled. "I only fainted because of the..." The right wall facing the table was one giant window and it broke into shards when something hit it. Mrs. Winterfields-Fiske didn't wait to jump on the table and hold out her hand, casting a protection shield to keep her and the others from getting hit by the flying shards.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Ruby, covered by Martin's protective arms, pointed at the giant monster trying to force its way inside until Mrs. Winterfields-Fiske casted yet another protection spell to keep it from coming in. Right then, the front door bursted open and in came Sean Abyss, Franz Schmitz, and Amelia Hall.

"Great, there's the alpha!" Sean said, looking up from a camera he was holding.

"Will somebody explain to me what's going on and what _she's_ doing in my mother's apartment?" Martin demanded and pointed a finger at Amelia.

"We'll talk about it later." Amelia dismissed his demands, actually ignoring him for the first time ever. Her focus went to the monster outside and her hands clasped together. "OK, the otterfly is in a high level, so it can't fly properly. We need to use a bait that will keep it distracted and in one place until Jessie and Izzy come with the cure."

"And then bye-bye the night of the living otterfly?" Franz sighed. "What a relief!"

"You mean there's more of them outside?" Ruby screamed.

"Again, we'll talk about it later!" Amelia snapped. "Does anybody have at least fifty cupcakes?"

"No, but we do have a ten-layered coconut cream cake with chocolate frosting," one of the servants hiding behind the couch volunteered.

"Perfect!" She ran to the kitchen and came back pushing a cart holding the cake in question. "Franz, can you throw Martin in the cake?"

"No, don't you...GAAH!" Martin screamed as Franz lifted him up in the air like a flour bag and tossed him into the cake. He didn't even get the chance to get out when Amelia pushed his mother, disabling the protection spell, and started screaming at the monster. "COME GET YOUR FREE CUDDLE MONKEY CUPCAKE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!"

The mutated otterfly licked its lips and raced to the cart. Screams and ghastly licks were heard while the others desperately avoided looking. Even Sean had to close his eyes while filming. " **NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME! STOP IT! GAH! DON'T TOUCH ME THERE!** " Martin was screaming like the victim of any random victim.

Finally, a black-and-red helicopter pulled up and shot a red beam at the Otterfly. The beast stopped its task and went on screaming and howling as it changed into a blue ooze that finally turned into the harmless blue otterfly toy it used to be. Martin moaned, his clothes ragged to nothing and his entire body covered in cake and saliva, and even when his mother and Ruby reached out to him, he fainted on the spot.

"And that's a happy Halloween for you!" Sean looked at the camera before shutting it off. "The end!"

 _Monday_

Surprisingly, Sean's tape on the entire chaos made a good break for the filmmaking club. After some editing was done, they managed to release this year's new Halloween film, NIGHT OF THE LIVING OTTERFLY, which became by far the most successful film ever.

Amelia did not look happily at all when the hallway screens recited the film's success. Dealing with her own mutated toy had traumatized her so much, she was now throwing everything related to Otterflies and her Cuddle Monkey shrine from her locker and into a trash bag. The incident had made it clear that she could not have both the way she wanted to. Even the principal had demanded that she never brought any of her Cuddle Buddies to school ever again.

"Sorry you have to move everything from your locker." She looked and saw Franz standing there, his rough arms holding a bunch of Malevolent Military 101 books.

"I deserved it," Amelia sighed. "But without my two main obsessions, I don't know what else I can do."

"Maybe you can start a new obsession?" Franz cautiously pulled something out of his jacket. To Amelia's shock it was a cute blue turtle in a mini Hydra uniform that made squeaking noises when squeezed in Franz's clutches.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Amelia smirked. "I never thought a gruff guy like you could have childish interests. Normally that's what I do!"

"Yeah well..." He shrugged. "I mostly label it as a _misunderstood_ interest."

 _Meanwhile, in the Principal's Office_

Principal Jekyllyde unlocked the door to her office and stepped inside. She took a deep breath, taking in the beloved smell of wood incense, until her eyes saw that a glass case standing on a column behind a desk had been smashed, taking whatever was inside it.

"The Relic! It's gone!"

*End of Episode*

*Characters Introduced:

Franz Schmitz, son of the Red Skull from Marvel Comics

Junk Bogan, son of Stuff and Thang from STRANGE MAGIC and Kit Bogan's twin brother

*Next Episode: The Grand and Formidable Maligna


	3. The Grand And Formidable Maligna

Villains High: The Grand And Formidable Maligna

 _A couple of days after the previous chapter_

"I'm nervous!"

"You shouldn't be!"

"But I am!"

"I'M LIBERATED!"

Moonlight Glimmer and Gelyk Amon stopped their pity argument and turned their heads. They were only passing by in the Cruella-teria and Martin Fiske screaming his head off in joy startled them. It got even weirder when the most stoic of all the students began tap dancing. "I am free! I am free!"

"Martin, stop!" Ruby looked up from the edition of the UNHOLY GAZETTE that she was reading. Her boyfriend calmed down and went back to sitting on his chair.

"OK, I just stepped into Weird Town." Moonlight rubbed her glasses. "What happened now?"

"Epic story!" Martin waved his hands in excitement. "I was walking down the hallway to go to General Evil Monarchy class, I see Amelia Hall passing..."

"Did you hide?" Gelyk snickered as he and Moonlight sat down next to them.

"No, I petrified. But here comes the part! I expect to be crushed and die in one of her harassing, but she did the most epic thing ever! SHE IGNORED ME!" He clapped his hands together. "She finally got the message and is now casually ignoring me! I am officially free from her stalking!"

"OK, that's weirder." Moonlight scowled in confusion as if she had just been told that science was a fraud. "How does somebody whose been stalking you for seven years straight just _ignore_ you?"

Ruby suddenly coughed the soda she was drinking and clutched her paper like she was drowning. "Sweetheart?" Martin held Ruby by the shoulder in concern.

"I think... I got Moonlight's answer." She shoved the paper at them with the page open from where she last left off. Moonlight used her magic to get the first hold on it. Her eyes gave out a similar reaction to Ruby.

"Amelia Hall is... _dating_... **Franz Schmitz** ," she said. Evidently, the words were not easy to say out loud.

"Let me see that!" Gelyk grabbed the UNHOLY GAZETTE in disbelief and read the article out loud. "' **ACTORS DATING CONFIRMED!** After the successful hit of the movie _NIGHT OF THE LIVING OTTERFLIES_ produced by the Villains High Halloween film-making club, hit gossip snitch and reporter Kandake Flynn has gone to interview Franz Schmitz and Amelia Hall, the two students who played the role of the badass gunman and wimpy scientist saving the world from a mutated hybrid apocalypse. During the interview, the complete polar opposite celebrities have confirmed that doing the shooting brought them close together and they are now going out together. As Schmitz the son of the Red Skull stated: "She defies the rules of nature and I defy the rules of democracy. What could be better?"'"

"Seriously?" Martin exclaimed. "I get assaulted by an Otterfly at my mother's dinner party and they think it was all part of a movie?"

"Well, the movie poster is convincing." Gelyk showed the page where they reprinted the movie's release poster. On the foreground, Franz Schmitz was standing there like a badass aiming his gun at a bunch of mutated otterflies crawling from skyscrapers, and Amelia Hall was holding onto him by wrapping her arms around his neck like a damsel in distress. It was like giving the role of a heroic Casanova international spy to a homicidal HYDRA thug who now claimed he was dating a girl who liked to mutate animal species into her plush toys.

"Eh, who cares?" Martin shrugged and crumbled the piece of paper. " The essential is that she gave up on me and now I can finally breathe!"

"Well at least you have it easy." Moonlight dropped her head into her arms. Gelyk patted her on the back in sympathy.

"What's wrong with Moonlight?" Ruby asked Gelyk.

"Her childhood friend got accepted into Villains High and Moonlight's freaking out," Gelyk said.

"What, is she terrible or something?" Martin asked.

"No, but... she has a way of being adored without being constantly like her mom. Our moms had common traits in being misjudged for their bad deeds, but while I get reprimanded for trying to being like my mom, my friend gets more approval for putting on a dramatic show and donating three quarters of her earnings to charity while keeping a quarter to herself. And seriously, when she keeps a quarter, she literally means taking a quarter from the charity part."  
"I'm confused." Ruby shook her head. Moonlight groaned and held up three fingers up in the air, bringing them down one by one. Right when the last finger went down, a puff of blue smoke appeared out of nowhere before them. It cleared away into sparkles and revealed a blue skinned girl in a pink witch's outfit waving a crescent moon and star wand in her hands.

"The Grand... And Formidable Maligna... has AA-RIIIIIIIVEEEED!" She sang in a singsong tune while twirling on the table. Martin and Ruby had to remove their trays to avoid having her step on their food. The arrival of the girl ended up catching everybody's attention throughout the Cruella-teria.

"Hey, Maligna." Moonlight sat upstraight, her mouth forcing a smile to hide the bored expression of déjà vu. "How was your trip?"

"Hold your ponies, Moon!" Maligna waved her wand at Moonlight, causing the girl to be levitated onto the table and crushed by a big hug. "So nice to see you again! Ain't it great that you and Maligna get to spend the rest of the school year together?"

"Jolly." Moonlight gently pushed Maligna aside. "Maligna, these are... VH students. VH students, this is my childhood friend Maligna Trixie."

"You mean you're the kid of the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Gabriel snorted from across the crowd while stuffing himself with burgers. "As if!"

Maligna briefly wrinkled her nose before applying a smirk. She waved her wand and casted a pinkish blue blast at Gabriel's burgers, turning them into living burgers barking like hounds at him, forcing the jock to start running around screaming like a girl as the burger hounds chased him. The other students laughed hysterically when one of the burgers managed to snatch Gabriel's underwear with its tomato tongue and give him a cheesy wedgy. Even Moonlight had to giggle at the sight.

"Another! Another!" The students clapped their hands.

"Ooh, I'd love to but the GRAND and FORMIDABLE MALIGNA does her performance with payment, so it'll be any coin for a trick!" Maligna took off her had and shook it before putting it on the table.

"Here's two coins if you can do a trick _blindfolded_!" A student challenged and flicked the coins in the hat. Maligna pulled a string of cloth from her belt and had Moonlight tie it over her eyes perfectly. Once that was done, Maligna made a twirling finger motion at the latter, asking her to spin Maligna. Moonlight put her hands on Maligna's shoulders and spun her once like a blue and pink tornado. Once the spinning stopped, Maligna instantly blasted at the direction of the student who dared her. After a flash of light, he turned into a murder of crows. She hit him again, and sparkles later, he turned into a dancing troupe of clones, and after a final blast, he was in one piece again.

The dares went on! With her hands tied to her back, she could still turn make one of the jocks fly while holding her wand in her mouth. Without using the classic box trick from circus magicians, she managed to slice one royal's body in three (which made the latter scream away in fright even though Maligna safely reattached her). Without using her wand, she made the entire row of tables fly in the air like wooden flying monkeys, using the power of her mind.

By the time lunch was over and it was time to head to class, Maligna's hat was so full of coins, it was obviously magic that she managed to put her hat back in place on her head without dropping a single coin.

"So Moonlight, what's your schedule?" Maligna asked Moonlight eagerly as they made their way out of the Cruella-teria with Gelyk and the now-fascinated Martin and Ruby. "If we're lucky, we share the same classes."

"Hold on, let me pull out my agenda." Moonlight went through her backpack while Maligna merely used her wand to pop hers into thin air. The girls quickly went through them together. "Well what do you know? We both have the same schedule for Villainous Witchcraft!"

"That's it?" Ruby frowned.

"We have different designated purposes with our magic where we're from," Maligna said. "Moonlight can brainwash people into equality and I can be a show-off by claiming myself as the best. It's one of those 'Morally speaking, Moonlight's the best'."

Moonlight chuckled. "You? Jealous of me? But you're the one with all the talents and tricks up your sleeves that everyone adores! You do charity!"

"Only because I want the attention to fill up this empty hole in me that craves for acceptance and admiration!" Maligna pressed a fist onto her heart. The others chuckled with her.

"Pardon me?" Somebody tapped his clawed fingers on Maligna's shoulder. When they looked, they saw Speciosus Narissa of all the people curtsying before her. "Allow me. I am Prince Speciosus Narissa of Andalasia, and you must be Maligna Lulamoon Illusion Trixie." He took her hand and gave her a gentlemanly kiss, making her blush. "I loved your performance. So much ego...it pleases me!"

"You're a narcissistic jerk and you're complimenting me, who's completely all over herself!" She said, her mouth nearly making her lap like a dog. "And for a prince, I must have hit the jackpot!"

"And you're a gold digger! I like it!" Speciosus smirked. "Please, my mother educates Villainous Witchcraft. Allow me to give you an advantage."

"Best first day of school EVER! I'll see you later, Moon!" Before a stunned Moonlight could lift a finger, Maligna and Speciosus left off, leaving behind a trail of popping black hearts that got destroyed with Ruby plucking them with her nails.

"Well..." Martin was the first to speak up among all of them stunned. "I've seen a bunch of weird couples from environmental supervillains and botanists to hybrids dating evil incarnate, but today was probably the first time I saw two completely weird couples. First we have a Nazi who loves to wear a skull mask and carry guns on a daily basis dating my ex-stalker childish genetist, and now we have a self-absorbed dark wizard prince succeeding at swooning a bragging illusionist. Make a note that both men are boys I've known since freshman year and I've never seen them woo or get swooned over by girls!"

"You'd be surprised, but the first time Moonlight and I met, we disliked each other," Gelyk said. Just then, the speakers cracked in the hallway and the headmistress' voice shrieked through them, demanding Moonlight Glimmer and whoever was standing near her were summoned in the office. "Heck, this is actually how it started! With us being summoned upstairs!"

 _Minutes later, at the office of Principal Jekyllyde_

The principal tapped her fingers on the remains of the glass case that held whatever it was resting on the small column. Honestly, people fail to notice the junk she kept in her office. Their main focus was to worry about why the hell they were summoned and how to avoid getting the lady with a double-personality angry with them. Conclusion made, Moonlight and the others didn't know at first why they were being summoned if they had no idea what the hell got robbed.

"I'm sorry, headmistress, but I have no idea what got stolen!" Moonlight said.

"Oh, I'm not pinning on you," The woman reassured calmly before snapping again. "It's just that after searching for two days my entire office in case I lost the Relic in my clutter, I could help but think about how it must be a coincidence that the Relic disappears just a couple days before your illusionist transferred in!"

"What?" Moonlight jumped off her seat, her cheeks burning. "Maligna isn't a thief! Granted, she's got an ego, but she prefers to _create_ than to _steal_ something to make her tricks better!"

"What was the Relic anyway, headmistress?" Martin asked.

"That's the problem, I'm not sure." The woman confessed as she dropped her body on her throne sized desk chair. "The Relic was part of the school's custody since it was still getting its foundations built. When I got the position of Headmistress, my predecessor told me that it was part of the Headmaster Code to keep anyone, even the staff and students, from being near the Relic or even taking it. I added my clutter in my office to distract my visitors from the Relic's spot, but I guess someone managed to steal it."

"OK, but why pin it on Maligna?" Moonlight frowned. "Is it just because she's a newcomer? What did the Relic even look like?"

"Like a white diamond..."

"Way ahead of you!" Ruby pulled out a tablet from her bag and started tapping on it. She looked up to the headmistress. "I don't suppose you have a picture of it?" The headmistress simply grabbed a framed picture that was resting on her desk. The picture was a black-and-white image of her first day as principal, right inside the office, with the Relic (a white diamond resting in its glass case on the column) in the background. Ruby took a quick picture of it with her tablet and waited until she got a meowing noise. "Got it!"

"How on earth is you taking a picture of another picture going to help?" Moonlight frowned.

"Because, you poor unbeliever, I have the app for the Encyclopedia of Robber's Cravings!" Ruby replied.

"You mean that book that categories the best diamonds to steal from cheapest to disgustingly valuable?" Martin asked.

"Yep. Except I got the app, so I don't have to carry around the 3799 paged tome!" Ruby smirked as she looked at her tablet. "OK, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Relic is actually called the 'White Emerald' and it used to be the tip of this ancient wand called the 'Wand of Heian'. The bad news? That's all the info I have."

"Are you sure?" Martin got a hold of the tablet and thoroughly scanned through it. He made a sour expression. "I'm afraid Ruby's right. The app says that the encyclopedia couldn't retrieve any other information concerning the Wand of Heian. Apparently it went missing during the Sui-Ly War in 602 AD."

"And the school was founded back in the 19th century or so," the Headmistress said. "Somehow the... White Emerald got detached from the wand and the first headmaster got a hold of it."

"We need more information on the wand..." Moonlight rubbed her chin. "And I do know an expert on all things related to wands."

 _After classes, later in the day_

They found Maligna hanging by her personal caravan just by the forest outside of campus. She was sitting on the steps outside, enjoying a smoothie while Speciosus was sharing with her stories of humiliating other people.

Maligna's eyes beamed when she saw Moonlight. "Hey, Moonlight. Is everything alright? You didn't come to Villainous Witchcraft," she asked.

"Yeah, about that." Moonlight told her the entire story of what happened in the principal's office. "And knowing your expertise in wands, I thought you might have..."

"I think she's way ahead of you." Speciosus pointed at the open caravan door. Noises of shuffling, throwing, and even a fox whining were heard. Somewhere during the end of Moonlight's story, Maligna must have gone back inside to search through her books.

"I found it!" Maligna ran outside, holding a red book in her hands. A blue fox ran out to follow her.

"Swifty!" Moonlight bent down and petted the fox, which instantly licked her on the palm. Maligna, in the meantime, opened the book. To make a note, the book had a red cover with diverse wands and stars.

"'Oriental Wands from the Middle Ages'. Let's see... I found it!" Maligna revealed the page. It showed an image of the Wand of Heian. As revealed previously, the White Emerald was the tip, but the shaft looked like a twisted thick cypress branch fashioned to look like a dehydrated human arm, its branches/fingers clutching the Emerald. The handle itself looked disturbing. It looked like a sickly brownish yellow serpent's tail with lemon colored fins.

"The Wand of Heian is not just a wand. It's a Shen Gong Wu..."

"Magical artifacts that have magical abilities, we know! Hanlin's release said everything!" Gelyk grumbled.

"For your information, it's more than that," Maligna said firmly. "The Wand of Heian is actually made of _three_ mystical artifacts. The White Emerald, which is an enchanted prism that can turn reflected rainbows into beams of dark light, the Cypress Shaft..." Maligna paused to cover her mouth. "Sorry. The Shaft is actually an emperor's cut off arm that a wizard used as his personal staff!"

"Gross!" Ruby and Moonlight stuck out their tongues.

"Cool!" Gelyk and Speciosus snickered.

"What about the handle?" Martin asked as he quickly looked back at the illustration. "Because I feel like I've seen the handle somewhere. I just can't put my finger on it."

Maligna pulled herself together and went back to her reading. "Right. Turns out that the handle is _another_ Shen Gong Wu called the Serpent's Tail that turns people ghostly in order to travel through solid walls. When they are brought together, they make the Wand of Heian. Whoever uses it can..." She gulped in horror. "Turn anybody he chooses into a ghostly shadow permanently."

"Are you saying that if the three artifacts meet, they'll turn into a weapon that can turn people into shadows?" Speciosus asked.

"Yes," Maligna nodded.

"OK, let's go find the other two artifacts before the thief gets them." Speciosus started to take a step ahead until he realized that the others looked at him in confusion. "What? I can't be a tyrant in a world covered in eternal darkness! Are you not aware that darkness destroys life, and without life, there's nothing for me to dominate?"

"That is a twisted way of thinking about the environment." Maligna smirked. "I LOVE it!"

"OK, but who'd be crazy enough to want to create an army of shadows?" Moonlight asked.

 _Meanwhile, in the South family estate_

The carriage arrived in the dark castle in uptown Villainapolis that belonged to Hannah South's family. The spoiled princess got out and instantly barked at her servants to fetch her afternoon tea while she marched up the white stairs and into her sea blue, screaming magenta Lolita bedroom. Hannah instantly threw her jacket on the white princess chair resting by her vanity mirror.

 _Your room is revolting,_ the shadow hissed as it slithered its way out from underneath Hannah's magenta canopy bed.

"I know, you told me that about fifty times!" Hannah spat as she put her school purse on her bed.

 _Do you have it_? The shadow asked. Hannah smirked and slipped her hand into her purse, pulling out the White Emerald. "Tada!"

 _The White Emerald!_ The shadow hissed with pleasure. It crawled over the sheets. If it had eyes, it would make them look like rotated crescents that narrowed in greedy pleasures. _Three more artifacts to go!_

"Three?" Hannah exclaimed. "I thought you said you needed three artifacts to make that wand of yours!"

 _I did, but the fourth is to reverse the wand's effects._ The shadow spoke in a tone that people have when they roll their eyes. _Did you honestly believe that I needed an army of shadows to conquer the world? I can do that with my own hands!_

"But if you're almighty, than why don't you just conquer the world already?" Hannah grumbled. Irritated, the shadow stuck its shadow arm right into Hannah's brain, making the princess scream.

"You're Highness! Is everything alright?" A servant knocked on the door, causing the shadow to go back into hiding under Hannah's bed.

"I'm fine! Just bring in the tea to the table, already!" Hannah screamed. Out of fright, the servant quickly rushed in to put the tea tray on the chamber table and make a run for it. Hannah slammed the door, warning the other castle servants to stay away from her room. She groaned in pain and pulled up her left sleeve, revealing her veins to form black roots around her wrist that slowly made their way up her arm. For now it was still below her elbows, but still...

 _You only have yourself to blame_ , the shadow said sternly as it got out of its hiding. _You chose to not listen to your tour guide and you touched the stones that sealed me in my prison. By freeing me, the stones have transferred a virus in you that will keep spreading until it reaches your heart and kills it._ The shadow then had a face-to-face with Hannah. _I am willing to use my powers to cure you, but in order to do that, you must return me to my fleshed nature, and to do so, you must gather the artifacts that will forge into the Wand of Heian and use the fourth artifact..._

"To reverse the effect so that instead of turning somebody into a shadow, I turn you, a shadow, into a human," Hannah said. "I get it. I'll keep my end of the bargain... as long as you keep yours."

 _I may be ancient, but I'm a being of my word. When I promise something, I keep it._

Hannah nodded.

 _So,_ the shadow said. _Where do we find the Cypress Shaft_?

*End of Episode*

*Characters Introduced:

Maligna Trixie, daughter of Trixie from MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

* Next Episode: Florence's Botanical Slumber Party


	4. Florence's Botanical Slumber Party

Villains High: Florence's Botanical Slumber Party

Ruby frowned in surprise when she found herself standing in front of the house of Poison Ivy. Granted, with everything she heard, she assumed that the house would be some sort of plant-based jungle house and not one of those neat row houses that you found in the Evil French Quarter of Villainapolis. Granted, it was nothing fancy, but judging by the good quality of the walls and wooden areas, one could conclude that the inhabitants were well off. It was two-stories tall, built with dark blue painted bricks, grass green wood on the windows, patio, and balcony, and since the balcony's railing and the curtains were vined motif and at least five different potted plants were in sight... Poison Ivy had to live in it.

"Well, there goes nothing." Ruby walked up to the patio and knocked on the Venus flytrap designed doorknocker. No one answered. "Odd, I thought she'd be here..."

A noise of bickering came from the balcony. She brought her ear up. Yep, somebody was upstairs.

"The things I do..." She shook her head and walked out of the patio. Once she had a good sight of the balcony, she took off her bag and used the strap to throw the thing right into the balcony. Thanks to all the spray paint bottles she kept in it, it made a loud clanging rumble upon landing. The response was a window opening and Florence and her mother popping their heads over the balcony.

"Why, if it isn't Selina's kid!" Poison Ivy smiled at the sight of her old friend's daughter standing below them.

"Rubes, this ain't a good time!" Florence hissed until her mother gave her a cringe-making glare.

"On the contrary." Poison Ivy waved her hands and the vine railings on the balcony moved downward, creating a metal staircase for Ruby to climb.

"I didn't know you could do metal vegetation, Ms. Poison Ivy," Ruby said in fascination. She then turned to Florence and asked bluntly. "Why did you bail on me?"

Florence's eyes widened and her cheeks blushed. "Oh..." She fidgeted her fingers in embarrassment. "I... completely forgot..."

"Forgot what?" Poison Ivy asked her daughter sharply before asking Ruby sympathetically: "I hope it's nothing serious."

"No, it's just... See, I was having issues with a Botanical Biochemistry assignment, and I kinda asked Florence if she could give me some tutoring so that I don't get a bad grade on the assignment. Since we both have the same morning periods, we were supposed to meet up two days before the assignment was due, but she didn't show up at all. Heck, she didn't show up at all at school by the time the teacher gave me an A." She scowled at Florence. "Luckily, I bribed the teacher with a diamond so that I could bring you the lessons you missed..."

"Why would you bribe the teacher?" Florence frowned.

"Because I didn't know your address," Ruby shrugged.

"I thought I gave your mother our address in case she ever wanted to stop over for some herbal tea," Poison Ivy pointed out as she picked up Ruby's bag and gave it back to her.

"Eh. I hardly ask my mom for anything."

Poison Ivy went back to glaring murderously at her daughter, who gave her a sheepish grin. The woman rubbed her forehead. "I need to make some herbal tea." She jumped off the balcony and into the patio. Ruby saw the woman pulling out her keys and opening the front door.

"OK, what's going on?" Ruby asked. She grabbed her bag and followed Florence through the window, stepping into the most nature-loving bedroom she'd ever seen. The walls were covered with pink wallpapers covered with green rainforest patterns, the wardrobe was made of living wood that actually straightened the laundry it held, the blue water bed had pillows and bed sheets that would make you look like you were sleeping on a water lily floating in a pond, the carpeted floor was made of soft grass, the oak tree desk had a desk lamp made out of a Venus flytrap, and the entire place smelled like rose perfumes. Oh, and the floor had a messy stack of shuffled papers and one large green book.

"I'm sorry I could help you out, Rubes," Florence said genuinely as she picked up the green. "I just got distracted with my preparations..."

"You have _nothing_ prepared!" Poison Ivy shouted from downstairs. Florence sighed and passed the book to Ruby, who frowned at the title.

"The V.I.N.E Gatherings Album?" She asked.

"It's short for Villainapolis In-crowd of Nature Extremists. They're a community group of all plant-based villains or nature chemists," Florence explained.

"So you're like a green club?" Ruby asked as she flipped through the pages, each spitting out a different plant perfume, she almost lost her sense of smell.

"In a way. V.I.N.E meets every year to discuss the expansion of nature's existence in our society, but that's for the adults. The main thing for me is the _Junior V.I.N.E_. While the adults talk business, the kids just do whatever... until we finally decided to do THE JUNIOR V.I.N.E ANNUAL GET-TOGETHER!" Her furniture suddenly made angel singing vocals, it caused Ruby to jump in fright before calming down.

"An annual get-together?" Ruby looked at Florence.

"Yeah, now what we do is that every year, while the adults are busy with their stuff, the Junior V.I.N.E do special activities together for one night. One of us gets picked to do the hosting and set up the activities, the vegetarian buffet, etc..." Florence sighed. "I wanted to host ever since the Annual Get-Together was established, but I never did, and after seeing three annual get-togethers go so perfectly... Rubes, I got selected this year to host and I don't know how to surpass the last three years and the gathering is THIS WEEKEND!"

Florence bursted into tears and jumped on her waterbed. The mattress actually gained more volume as she sobbed.

"Well, what was done in the previous years?" Ruby sat down next to Florence and gave her a comforting pat on the back.

Florence leaned upward. "Uh, Terra invited us to camp in the Everfree Forest -fun year for catching glowworms and watching shooting stars from the top of trees- for the first gathering, Vergil organized a tea party at the Lotus Café on the second gathering..." She sighed happily. "He even gave me a special Lotus brooch..."

Ruby smirked. Florence always went in a romantic daze whenever she talked about her boyfriend Vergil, the son of the Botanical Biochemistry Professor Vanderfleet at Villains High. "What about the last gathering?"

The daughter of Poison Ivy bolted off her bed. Her cheeks burned with bitter anger, causing the grass floor to briefly darken. " _Seeder Gigi_ did the best last year. That Heylin seed threw a _gala_ at the Villainapolis Botanical Gardens, complete with organic orchestra and firefly fireworks! I can't compete with that!"

"I thought the Junior V.I.N.E Annual Get-Together was about having a fun time... in a vegetarian fashion," Ruby said. She scratched her chin with the tip of her nail. The metal scratched her skin and she muttered when she found some blood on her fingers. Florence plucked a leaf off her outfit and placed it on Ruby's chin like a bandage. The latter grinned at the girl's generosity.

"I got it!" Ruby snapped her fingers. "You could throw a slumber party!"

"A slumber party?" Florence rolled her eyes. "Rubes, you do realize that there will actually be boys attending?"

"So? It's a botanical themed slumber party! Think about it! You could do leaf facials, make green smores, do flowery arts and crafts...AAAHH!" She exclaimed. "Even better! Throw the slumber party in the Botanical Biochemistry lab!"

"A slumber party in _school_?" Florence scowled. "What kind of geek..."

"Florence, are you planning on throwing a botanical slumber party?" Poison Ivy came into the bedroom holding a tray with three cups full of tea. Florence stammered incomprehensively until her mother smiled as she gave tea to Ruby. "Because I think it's a splendid idea!"

Florence sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Ruby marveled upon the tea she was drinking. "Yum! Is that mint and jasmine _combined_?"

"Yes, the flavor is quite delicious when the herbs are mashed together under a boiling sun," Poison Ivy said. "It takes a long time to make them, but it results with Florence and I having a stock to last us at least six months." She looked at her daughter. "I should have enough for your slumber party."

"Are you sure?" Florence frowned. "We already went through the first two months."

"It's alright," her mother sighed. "Besides, we won't have much to go through during the gathering. Most of our members left for the Amazon Protection Rally, only Vergil, Terra, Seeder, and Passionève will come to your sleepover."

"Well at least I'll save myself from embarrassment," Florence chuckled nervously. "Now all I need to do is... call the principal to ask for the keys to the classroom for the slumber party."

Ruby grinned mischievously and turned to the two green ladies. "I don't suppose there's room for an honorary green member?"

 _Next Friday, two hours after classes were over_

Florence and Ruby spent the rest of their afternoon setting up the Botanical Biochemistry lab and botanical gardens for the slumber party, spreading the grass matts and pillows, hanging the lotus flower string lights, and making sure that the carnivore plants were fed. They didn't want another accident where a student had to be hospitalized for harassing Mother Nature.

"It was so nice of your mom to persuade the principal into letting us use the classroom for the slumber party," Ruby told Vergil Vanderfleet, who was also helping them set up.

"Well, Kyle, when your girlfriend is the one hosting the event, you can't help but want to help," he said. He gave a quick wink to Florence, who blushed as she went on to set the buffet. She fidgeted her fingers to make the mini sugar lilies float on the blueberry punch.

"Hey, what do you want me to do with this? It's getting in the way of the herbal mask station." Ruby pointed at a potted tree. "Man, it's incredibly thin!"

"Easy there, Wild Cat!" Vergil judo flipped and put himself in a defensive position separating Ruby from the pot. "That tree is one of a kind! My mom just brought it in today!"

"Is it part of an endangered species?" Florence walked over to see the tree. It's trunk was barely thicker than her arm and three quarters of her height, yet it managed to uphold a large mass of purple leaves formed together like one giant purple bowling ball.

"That tree is one of a kind," Vergil explained in a serious tone. "My mom found it in a garden that was part of a dead town..."  
"Dead town?" Ruby asked.

"Volcanic eruption accident. During the spring break, my mom went on a tour of lost cities to find mineral substances that could work as organic fertilizers, and she stumbled upon this tree during one of the excavations. It was the only piece of flora that seemed to have survived for a thousand years in that waste...She wants to use the sap for experimentations to entice the seniors with extra credit."

"Shouldn't the bark be thick from years of aging?"

"Fossilized flora can sustain its frail appearance," Florence said.

"That's the thing!" Vergil said in excitement. "The dead town was covered in dried ash, and even though the volcano died out centuries ago, nothing was able to grow there! Not even a weed! Yet this tree was just standing there, growing from the ashes, with such a thin body!"

The door knocked. They had to pause their conversation in order for Florence to go unlock the door and let in Terra Everfree, Seeder Gigi, and Passionève Valentine, all dressed in floral-themed pajamas. "Hey, guys! Welcome to the Junior V.I.N.E slumber party!"

"This is gonna be fun!" Terra said. She threw open her oak-leaf sleeping bag, tossed it on the floor, and jumped on it. "A slumber party in our favorite classroom!"

"What's the program?" Passionève asked Florence.

"Diverse floral facial masks, eating, sharing stories, and for the finishing touch, the blooming of the neon corpse flowers!" Florence clasped her hands together. "A whole week of nurturing..."

"Question. Why is she here?" Seeder pointed a finger at Ruby.

"I happen to be an honorary green member. Florence let me in," Ruby said.

"Passion, is it in the manual?" Seeder asked Passionève. The latter pulled out a green book with rose patterns from her backpack and flipped through the pages.

"Article 20, Section 12," she said. "A villain is not a traditional plant-based villain _can_ join the V.I.N.E and/or V.I.N.E Junior committee as an honorary member if he has any vegetarian connections. Aside from her being friends with good old Flo here, she happens to be associated with the Fiskes, and they are straight vegetarians. Not one ounce of meat in their stomachs. Kyle's good."

Florence and Ruby high-fived each other.

"Let's get this party started!" Vergil said.

 _An hour later_

Hannah cautiously opened the girls' bathroom and stepped into the hallway.

After lying to her father about a last-minute homework evening at one of her friends' castles, she hid in the bathroom and waited for hours until the janitor was done cleaning every inch of the school and went home. Disguised in her black cloak, she snuck around the hallways, only to freeze and hide behind a locker. The lights were on in the Botanical Biochemistry classroom and laughter echoed out of it.

 _Why do you hesitate_? The shadow poked up behind her back. _Didn't you say that the Cypress Shaft was in that room?_

"Hello, there are people in there!" Hannah hissed at the shadow quietly. "You want me to just waltz in there and say that I plan on stealing a shaft and go on my merry way?"

The shadow groaned. It then looked like it would perk its head up as if to receive an idea. _Botanical Biochemistry... Stay here. I will go and have a look._

"For what?"

 _For a diversion._ The shadow turned into microscopic lizards that formed a black line slithering towards the door.

 _Meanwhile_

The V.I.N.E Juniors and Ruby were laughing their heads off at the stories they were sharing while divulging into activities. Vergil devoured most of the avocado lily cakes from the buffet, Terra was putting mashed jasmine blossoms on Florence's face, and Passionève and Seeder were drinking off punch while listening to Ruby's story.

"And then the guy jumps off the building, tries to be the badass cop, but right when I bump off a market stand's draped top that slides me right to the ground, the cop ends up chuting straight into the telephone wires! The bolts went flying! I swear, when I looked back before running, the guy lost all his hair! He turned into Lex Luthor's twin!"

Passionève and Seeder laughed, nearly squirting the punch out of their nostrils.

"Maybe you shouldn't drink too much punch, you guys!" Vergil joked and almost choked on a lily cake.

"C'mon, Seeder. It's your turn to tell a story!" Terra said. She walked over to the sink and washed her hands.

"OK, OK." Seeder sat upstraight. "But you've been warned. This is a Heylin story that goes back 1500 years!"

"Ooh, I'm already scared!" Florence said in mocking fright. Ruby chuckled in agreement, but Seeder merely shrugged and went on to tell.

"It happened decades before my dad became the Heylin Seed, back when he was still a human living in this farming village in the Eastern countryside. When he was teen, his potato-farm was being rivaled by their neighbor's tomato-farm..."

"Boring..." Vergil taunted. Terra shushed him.

Seeder continued. "My dad's family and the neighbor's feuded so badly, my dad dared to scream at the sky to curse the neighbors. The next day, the neighbors found something strange resting among the tomatoes. A golden dirt colored egg with white depictions of Asian winds. The neighbors assumed that it was an ancestral blessing, so they placed it within their family shrine. For the next few days, their crops improved in quantity and quality and increased their profits. My dad's family got angrier.

"Then a couple days later, all of the people who lately purchased tomatoes from the neighbors suddenly became sick. Sturdy ploughmen became frail, water-fetching maids got too frail to even fetch water from the well, and small children grew spores all over their faces. Many died. People came to mob the neighbors until they declared the mysterious egg to be responsible for the new plague. They led the mob to the family shrine, only to find egg parcels scattered all over the tiles and yellow substance dried on the memorials."

The others gasped. "Did your dad's family smash it out of spite?" Ruby asked.

"Nah. Smashing anything in another's family shrine would bring a lifetime of curses." Seeder shook his head. "The neighbors asked a livestock farmer, and they said that the egg wasn't smashed but _hatched_. The neighbors and the other townsfolk believed that that the egg held an evil creature so dangerous, its birth brought malevolence to the village."

"Did they search for it?" Vergil asked.

"They searched for days that turned into months and eventually they gave up, coming up to the conclusion that the beast probably died during its few days alive. With the belief that evil was gone, my dad went to work for an herbal apothecary. After years of hard work, he was rewarded with a very rare purple orchid in a pot. But when he returned to the village, the place was burning down. The earth was ash, the well was filled with poison, the animals ran away, and every house was a monstrous bonfire of burning wood and flesh.

"My dad rushed to his house just in time to see it dissolve into flames. The neighbor's was far worse. Where the crops once stood was a throne made of solidified ash and bones. On it stood what could have been a princess. She had the long black hair, the beautiful skin, and the fancy silk dress, but she had the eyes of lizards and the beads that matched it. It was like every ruffle in her skirt had fifty eyes that were watching you while you were busy observing her two eyes. My dad concluded that she was the monster that hatched from the egg, but before any avenging could be done, she blew a cloud of smoke at his orchid. When my dad reopened his eyes, the girl was gone, the village destroyed, and he was now the plant monster that we now call the Heylin Seed. The end."

The others looked at him, unable to react. Well, except maybe for Ruby. "Seriously? That's it?" She asked.

"What were you expecting?" Seeder asked. Meanwhile, the teens didn't notice the shadow slipping from underneath the doorway and slithering behind the tables towards the open door leading to the school's botanical garden.

"The girl that turned your dad into the big orchid of the year. What happened to her after she burned the village? Did she just disappear?"

The shadow rose up and sneered at the sight of the potted, glowing baby pods of corpse flowers that Florence had created for the slumber party's neon corpse flower blooming.

"That's the thing, he doesn't know." Seeder shook his head. "By the time my dad mutated, he lost his senses and began to go haywire all over the country. Next thing you know, he gets dried up into a seed, locked up in a shoebox, and held in an underground shrine for the next 1500 years. He's got no idea of what happened to the girl who turned him into the monster he still is."

The shadow spit a cloud of shadow smokes at the baby corpse flowers. A wailing sound came out of them and they melted together to form one corpse flower.

"What was that?" Terra asked.

Vergil, being the one closest to the garden, headed for the doorway, only to scoot over when they got an armada of potted or uprooted plants dragging their way out, screaming and wailing until they popped the classroom door open and ran out in the hallway and probably out of the school.

"I pity the janitor," Ruby said.

"Uh, Florence?" Vergil pointed at the garden. Florence rushed to see what he was talking about. Her eyes reacted like her boyfriend's when she saw that instead of the tiny crop of baby neon corpse flowers she had spent a week nurturing with love, they were facing an eight-feet-tall corpse flower. Its petals were still shut, but they moved and twisted the entire body, making gurgling noises that would make one want to vomit. Much to their horror, the flower was actually growing.

"Hit the deck!" Terra used thorned branch to lasso everyone and throw them out into the hallway. She shut the door behind them and summoned a wall of two thick oak trees to block the door. "Florence, what the hell did you grow?"

"Hey, I don't know where that corpse flower came from! I only grew a dozen the size of my fist!" She protested. The walls of the Botanical Biochemistry classroom began to shake.

Seeder closed his eyes and pinched his nose. The strange long black antennas he had for eyebrows moved towards the direction of the oak wall, which slightly shook despite its sturdiness. The tips of the eyebrows began to shake.

"I'm picking traits of black magic..." He gasped. "It's Heylin magic! And what's worst is that it amplified the capacities of the corpse flower! Instead of merely throwing off a corpse-smelling stench, it's going to throw a corpse-turning gas! Even we could be killed!"

"Right after you tell us a story about how your dad mutated, we're about to be killed by a mutated corpse flower!" Vergil shouted sarcastically. "How ironic is that?"

The walls shook again and a tiny crack was seen appearing on the oak wall.

"Guys, how do we kill that thing before it kills us?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know!" Florence said in a panic. "Weed killers and instant dryness won't work... Maybe fire could work."

"Fire, that's it!" Ruby turned to Passionève. "Have any nail polish remover?"

"Why?"

"Nail polish remover has acetone and it's highly flammable. I saw Grinchelda pull a stunt where she made a makeshift flamethrower using only a lighter that she spat acetone on. I bet if I do the same thing..."

"OK, Grinchelda can spit acetone in her mouth because she ain't human!" Passionève said. "But I do know there's about two barrels of the stuff in the Basic Arson classroom on the second floor!"

"One ride coming right up!" Florence raised her hands in the air. The ground shook and a giant root rose up, carrying Ruby and Passionève up like an elevator that broke through the ceiling.

The cracks increased on the oak barrier. "Yeah, this ain't going to last!" Vergil shouted.

"Should I try putting in another layer?" Terra offered.

"No use!" Seeder shook his head. "By now, the corpse flower must be one behemoth. It'll just keep cracking through the defenses!"

The cracking was halfway close to succeeding. The walls then exploded and they faced the gurgling sounds that threatened to unleash its toxic breath... And then the sprinklers showered them with the white liquid that was acetone. The corpse flower wailed at the unpleasant shower while Vergil, Seeder, and Florence ran for cover.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Ruby and Passionève surfed down the vine, both girls wielding flamethrowers that they blasted at the showered corpse flower. The monstrosity wailed as the flames engulfed it and reduced it to a pile of ashes.

"Boom! We saved the day!" Passionève cheered once they hit the main ground.

"Uh, guys!" Seeder snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, THE SCHOOL IS BURNING!"

And he said that right when the ceiling started to collapse.

 _Days later, in Malhattan_

"You _burned_ Villains High?" Martin still couldn't believe the words he was saying while he, Ruby, and Florence were having tea at his mother's apartment.

"OK, so putting a flammable liquid in the school's sprinkler system wasn't the best idea," Ruby said with a tone that was anything but unashamed. "Positively speaking, we did stop a Heylin mutated corpse flower from intoxicating with its fowl stench."

"But negatively speaking," Florence listed, "the school burned down and they had to close it until they can fix it, we got suspended for it, my mom grounded me from ever organizing another Junior V.I.N.E Annual Get-Together, and because we not only trashed the Botanical Biochemistry classroom but also got Professor Vanderfleet's newly disappeared tree to get lost, me and the other plant-based students are banned from ever using the classroom for a slumber party."

The Simian Witch poured some Earl Grey tea into their teacups. "I hope the Principal hasn't sued your parents," she said.

Both girls groaned.

"Vergil's mom is losing a lot from her teacher's paycheck just for funding the repairs of her classroom," Florence said.

"I'm currently staying at the RoughCut Motel," Ruby said.

"Wait, I thought you lived with your mom in..." Martin began.

"Oh, _that_." Ruby said bitterly. "Because of the mayhem that I caused using the acetone and flamethrowers, the VH janitor and Basic Arson complained to my mom. She kicked me out of the apartment and told me she couldn't be seen with me until she found a way to repay her debt. Good thing I hardly own anything."

"Gosh, Ruby, I'm so sorry!" Florence said.

Ruby sighed. "It's my fault anyway. I came up with the suggestion of you throwing the slumber party in the classroom. Maybe none of this would have happened if I just accepted my bad grade and left you alone..."

"Aw, Rubes." Florence gave a pouting smile and hugged Ruby in appreciation.

The Simian Witch smiled at the two friends and looked at her son. "Martin, isn't your father off for that archeologists gathering at Northfear?

"Yes, he'll be gone for..." Martin blushed when he realized what his mother. He smiled and turned to Ruby right when she broke off her hug with Florence. "Um, Ruby, you could stay at my home until the situation is cleared... if you want to."

"Martin, I couldn't... OWWW!" Ruby yelped when Florence stomped her on the foot. "What was that for?"

"Don't do another stupid decision." Florence shook her head.

They all laughed at her comment.

 _Meanwhile, in the South family estate_

Hannah tossed the frail-looking, but quite heavy tree onto her bed. "Mission accomplished!"

The shadow looked happily at what once used to be the prized potted tree that Professor Vanderfleet had discovered, only with the leaves discarded to reveal its appearance as a particularly twisted dried-up arm made of wood.

 _The Cypress Shaft_! The shadow said with dark pleasure. _We are halfway there!_

"Yeah, but didn't you hear what the Gigi freak said?" Hannah put down the White Emerald to make it align with the Cypress Shaft. "He sensed your black magic as Heylin magic. If this keeps going on, they'll start connecting the corpse flower incident with the otterfly one. Last thing I want is for _me_ to suspended!"

 _Judging by our progress_ , _they'll realize it too late._ The shadow snickered. _Two more relics to go and we'll both get what we want!_

*End of Episode*

*Characters Introduced:

Terra Everfree, daughter of Gaia Everfree from EQUESTRIA GIRLS: LEGEND OF EVERFREE

Seeder Gigi, son of Gigi the Heylin Seed from XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN

Passionève Valentine, daughter of Natalie Valentine from TOTALLY SPIES

*Next Episode: How Grinchelda Hit Christmas Wall-To-Wall*


	5. How Grinchelda Hit Christmas Wall-ToWall

Villains High: How Grinchelda Hit Christmas Wall-To-Wall

Christmastime was finally in Villainapolis. School was closed, the streets were filled with snow and lighted trees, people mobbed the stores to get a hold of all the insane sales, and people were either out for eggnog or staying home with the family to deck the halls.

The Fiske Estate was no exception. Martin's father had come back home early from the archaeologists gathering, courtesy of a snow blizzard, and with the Simian Witch taking a holiday from work, the castle was filled with monkey ninjas hanging wreaths and lights, Bates the valet was busy preparing the eggnog and fruitcake while humming a joyful tune, and Martin's family was busy decorating the Christmas tree in the living room.

"It's nice that you guys could stay to celebrate Christmas," Martin told Ruby and Gilliard while they went through the box of ornaments while his parents put on the lights and ribbons first on the tree.

"You can thank the blizzard for cancelling my trip to visit my dad in Wannaweep," Gilliard shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just glad I don't have to spend Christmas in the streets this year." Ruby blinked and pulled two ornaments, one being a monkey skiing and the other being a marmoset in a blue suit doing artistic ice-skating. "OK, I've never seen so many monkey-themed Christmas ornaments in my life."

"Most of them come from our anniversaries, darling," the Simian Witch said as she took the ornaments from Ruby's hands. "These two, we actually got on our very first Christmas together. That was you were still a chubby baby!" She pinched Martin's cheek playfully while her son yelped in embarrassment or at the pain, go figure.

"Mother!" He complained.

Ruby and Gilliard snickered.

Monkey Fist hung up the last string light and came down to watch with the others the tree illuminate. "We have achieved hanging lights on the tree. We may proceed to putting the ornaments."

"Hopefully the Christmas Eve schedule should go well," Martin said hopefully. "The tree decorating, Bates' feast, storytelling by the fireplace, and a good night's sleep before we open presents tomorrow morning."

Ruby knelt by the fireplace and rubbed her hands. "So warm... AAAH!"

She crawled away when something just appeared out of nowhere like a ghost through the fireplace's wall, proceeding to solidifying right in the living room. They all gasped when they saw that it was none other than Grinchelda May Whovier, wearing a blue Christmas outfit and bearing a red bag over her shoulders. One of her hands held an odd object shaped like a serpent's tail.

"The Serpent's Tail!" Monkey Fist snarled and snatched it from Grinchelda's hand. "Why are you stealing it?"

"Hey, I'm just returning it!" Grinchelda rolled her eyes. "I've been using it for the last six hours and your house was last on the list! Oh, and here are you presents." She started tossing out presents at them, one landing in each individual's arms. "Where should I put the ones for the monkey ninjas, the Homo Simius, and the valet?"

"OK, time out!" Ruby put down her present on the couch. "Grinchelda, you aren't pulling one of your Grinch-stealing-Christmas stunts by switching everyone's presents, are you?"

"And why are you doing this _now_? It's not even 6pm!" Martin pointed at the grandfather clock with the monkey tail shaped handles indicating 5:50pm.

"Also, why would you wear blue on Christmas?" Gilliard asked. The Fiske family and Ruby looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

Grinchelda jumped and slouched on the nearest armchair, sighing out of exhaustion. "You really want to know what happened?" They nodded. "OK, it happened back in my hometown, in Whoville..."

 _Flashback ripples. December 23rd, Whoville, in the house of the Grinch and Martha May Whovier up in Mt Crumpit_

"What do you mean, Santa isn't coming?" Grinchelda had almost choked in her squash soup right in the middle of lunch.

"The old man crashed his sleigh in Sineria. Czar troupes mistook him for another UFO," the Grinch shrugged in exasperation as he went through his onion and falafel salad. "He called to ask me to fill in for him."

"Old Saint Nick... asking the Grinch who stole Christmas to replace him?" Martha May smirked at the context of her own words. "Who knew this would happen?"

"Do tell!" The Grinch roughly put down his fork on the plate. "With my old rocket sleigh, I'll need about forty gas stations stops just to go around the world! Whoville is one thing, but I now have to deal with seven continents!"

"Did you try contacting my friend Jamie's dad? He's done the entire going-around-the-world on Christmas Eve." Grinchelda pointed out.

Her father rubbed her hair in affection. "Just as clever as your old man, aren't ya?"

 _December 23rd. 5 hours later, in Halloweentown_

Grinchelda should have known better than suggesting Jack Skellington's assistance.

Right after lunch, the two members of the Grinch clan took the family rocket sleigh and headed straight to Halloweentown through the complex system of dimensional portals. Like Whoville, the monstrous habitants were in the Christmas spirit. Unlike Whoville, they multitasked between celebrating Christmas and doing their winter duties of preparing plans for the next Halloween.

The Skellington Clan welcomed them instantly, but things took a turn downhill after the Grinch explained his situation to Jack Skellington and the latter refused.

"C'mon, Jackie!" The Grinch tried to beg. "I'm sure that if we worked together, we could get the work done twice as fast!"

"Grinch, I adore your unique mischievous nature that reminds me of myself," Jack said while rubbing his skull's invisible temples, "but the last time I did that, I got aimed by military tanks!"

"To be fair, Dad, the town citizens didn't exactly have the same perspective of 'jolly' as Santa and the elves," Jamie Skellington pointed out while she put water under the dead looking Christmas tree they had in the living room. "I mean, c'mon! You put a giant snake for a stocking!"

"Precisely my point of not trying to replace Santa _again_." The adult skeleton's empty eye sockets turned to the fireplace, where Grinchelda was busy admiring the Skellington Clan's collection of skeletal Santa Claus figurines. "Come to think of it, Grinch, why doesn't your daughter assist you? After all, she has your genetics."

Grinchelda turned in confusion. "Me?"

"I couldn't." Grinch shook his head. "She's still too young."

"She'll be thirteen tomorrow," Jack pointed out. "I'm quite sure that this would be the perfect way to prepare her inherited fate on her first day as an adolescent."

"You forget that I'm too old to drive my own rocket sleigh," Grinchelda said.

"She promised her mother to only start driving a sleigh after she gets her car driving permit first," the Grinch added. "Martha still freaked out after I nearly caused Cindy Lou to crash land on Christmas morning... you know, after I reformed."

"Oh, by the way, how's that little Who doing?"

While the adults were busy talking, Jamie quickly dragged Grinchelda by the arms outside of the living room and had her sit down on the metal staircase connecting the first and second floors.

"You should consider helping your dad out," Jamie said. "After all, you are primarily known for being the daughter of the Grinch."

"Yeah, I'm the daughter of the Grinch and I still need to wait four more years to get my sleigh driving license!" The green girl hissed.

"Look, here me out!" Jamie had Grinchelda lean in the way gossip girls do when they shared secrets. "I heard from the town antique dealer that three years ago, one of the members of the Fiske Clan came and purchased the Serpent's Tail. Rumor has it that the object can phase through solid objects like a ghost. Maybe if you use _that_..."

"You want me to go halfway around the world to deliver presents by being a passer-through-walls?" Grinchelda scowled at Jamie, who gave her a toothy grin. The former shrugged. "Sure, I'll do it. But how do I ask for it from the Fiskes?"

Jamie rolled her head since she couldn't roll her eyes. "You do realize that your dad wasn't known for doing Christmas, but for _stealing_ it."

 _Back to the present_

"So you broke into our home and left off with the Serpent's Tail?" The Simian Witch scowled. Everyone had sat down to listen to Grinchelda, thus taking a break from their Christmas tree decorating.

Monkey Fist frowned and stopped drinking from his mug full of eggnog that Bates had brought over. "Now that I think about it, how _did_ you manage to break into our home and leave off with the artifact?"

 _Flashback ripples. December 23rd, Villainapolis, in the Fiske Estate_

"Come along, children!" Monkey Fist declared as he kept the front door mid-open. "We don't want to arrive to the Christmas tree sale right when they run out."

"I still can't believe that Florence's mom sales Christmas trees. She hates plant decorations as much as she loathes lumberjacks," Ruby said while making sure that her purple ski hat with tiny cat ears was well placed on her head.

"Monetary mid-life crisis," Gilliard suggested while putting on his snow boots. "Some guys hoard racecars just to sell the scraps at local metal shops, others are naturalists who make a holiday break just to score some cash to purchase presents."

They all hurried to jump in the jeep and drive off to the tree sale across the neighborhood. Five minutes later, right when one of the monkey ninjas came over to do some sweeping in the living room, a black cloud erupted from the fireplace and Grinchelda fell down into the living room. Alert, the monkey ninja used his broomstick as a bo staff, prepared for battle.

"Try anything or warn your boss, and I will introduce you to my worst enemy!" Grinchelda warned. She pulled out from her pocket and electric razor. Seeing the blades running, the monkey ninja screeched in fright, dropped the broom, and held up its hands in surrender.

 _Back to the present_

"You used an electric razor to threaten a monkey ninja?" Ruby asked in disbelief. "That's probably the dumbest thing I ever heard."

"Grinch fact, Kitty, we _abhor_ shaving ever since my dad got traumatized by it as a child," Grinchelda pointed out. "Even when I started getting my puberty..."

"I DON'T want to know!" Martin blocked his ears.

"So you just... used the Serpent's Tail to deliver around presents?" Gilliard asked Grinchelda.

"Yeah. OK, my parents were pissed that I broke into private property to steal an artifact -go figure, but as long as I kept my promise to return it, I was good to help out my dad with his deliveries. While he took care of the Eastern Hemisphere, I took care of the Western Hemisphere."

"But it's still Christmas Eve!" Ruby pointed out. "Don't you think that people we're confused on why you ghosted your way in to deliver presents before they even went to bed?"

"Pff! No big! I just made my way into the basements or the closets where parents stash their presents for the kids and company, and for some cases, well... I just put it in front of the door and knocked."

"So, how did you end up with the blue outfit?" Gilliard asked.

"Man, you _really_ want to ask for my fashion?" Grinchelda exclaimed. "But now that you mention it, I did have two delays while I was in Conmanada and New Jerk City..."

 _Flashback ripples. December 24th, New Jerk City, in some random apartment._

Two pre-teens hid behind the couch. Their parents were out at some adult Christmas Eve party and were left alone to do the biggest experiment of their lives.

"You don't honestly think that Old Nick exists, do you?" The youngest one asked.

"Dude, if he so exists, we'll give him the reward of his life for putting us on the naughty list for three years straight."

Suddenly, a shadow appeared out of nowhere and began to sneak its way towards the Christmas tree. Right when it started to unload packages and place them under the tree, the boys shouted like insane troupes and started shooting blue paintballs at the intruder.

"Eat that, Santa... OOOOOOH." The eldest stopped screaming and put an end to the shooting. He and his brother realized that they hadn't been shooting at the Father Christmas, but at a pre-teen female Grinch, who blinked through the paint that covered her body and most of the living room.

"Naughty list?" She asked calmly. The boys nodded. "That explains why I only had to deliver presents for your parents. Looks like not only are you _not_ getting presents, but you're gonna pay my dry cleaner!" She snapped at the last words.

The eldest boy groaned in despair while the youngest one glared at the former. "Gee. Make that _four years_ straight."

 _Back to the present_

"You got paintball attacked by boys?" Gilliard frowned at Grinchelda. "That's why you're wearing blue?"

"No, I'm wearing blue because I went to Easter Town!" She rolled her eyes before shouting. "Of course they threw blue paintballs at me! Two hours of threatening them with their guns and the blue wouldn't come off the red areas!" She looked down at her outfit and sniffed. "My poor sweetie now looks like a baby boy's blanket!"

The Fiske family members rolled their eyes.

"So, then what happened in Conmanada?" Ruby asked.

 _Flashback ripples. December 24th, Conmanada, in a suburban house_

"OK, that should be the last one..." Grinchelda put the last gift under the tree. Now that she did her delivery for this household, she was ready to go. She reached under her collar and pulled out the Serpent's Tail...

"Miss Grinch?"

She froze and looked down. She almost jumped in surprise when she found a dozen children in pajamas ranging from 5 to 7 years old. In fear, she quickly tucked the Serpent's Tail back under her shirt. "Uh, yes?" She told the children.

"Why aren't you stealing our tree?" one of the children asked.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Grinchelda responded back.

"We hoped that Santa could read us a bedtime story." A little boy held up a large storybook. Grinchelda frowned when she saw that the book was none other than _HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS._

"Can't your mommy read it for you?" She asked them. Like synchronized swimmers, the children pointed at a framed picture of a reward for best disciplinary orphanage. "St. Lucifer's Foster Home For Undisciplined Orphans? I just had to stumble on the one day orphans get to be jolly..." She looked back at the children, who gave her puppy eyes in a mass.

"Fine! But once I'm done, you all go to bed!"

 _Back to the present_

"That's so sweet!" Ruby sighed. "You read a bedtime story to orphans!"

"Yeah, and after I read them the English version, I had to spend the next two hours reading that same story in different languages!" She shuddered. "Never ask me about the horrors of me reading in Hebrew...

"But anyway, I got delay, I caught up with the rest of the deliveries, and since Villainapolis was the last one on my list, I decided to stop by your place last to return the Serpent's Tail." She pulled out the string necklace she had made to keep the artifact on her and handed it back to Monkey Fist. "Sorry I stole it."  
The lord hesitated. He glanced at his wife, who merely shrugged. "Well, our vault is getting cluttered, and we were hardly using it anyway." He placed the necklace back in Grinchelda's hands. "You may keep it. Until you get your sleigh driving license."

Grinchelda's eyes widened. She smiled and hugged the man, who found it a bit strange to be hugged by the Grinch's daughter, but still returned it.

A honking noise came from outside. "That's dad!" Grinchelda exclaimed. She ran out of the living room and down the stairs leading to the front door. The others followed her just in time to see Grinchelda climb up a rope ladder and sit right next to her dad in his rocket sleigh. He hugged her proudly.

"Well that's something you don't see everyday," the Simian Witch smiled.

"Merry Christmas to you rascals!" The Grinch shouted.

"I'll see you back in school!" Grinchelda shouted as well to the people below.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" They waved at the Grinch clan. They waved and watched as the rocket flew away into the distance, heading to some unknown portal to Whoville. A bell came from inside the castle, meaning that Bates finally finished the feast. While Monkey Fist, the Simian Witch, and Gilliard went inside, Martin and Ruby stayed outside and watched the snow fall from the white clouds.

"Do you think it was a good idea for your dad to give the Serpent's Tail to Grinchelda?" Ruby asked Martin.

He nodded. "The Serpent's Tail is one of the three objects needed to make the Wand of Heian. With the White Emerald missing and no clue on where the Cypress Shaft is, I don't want to risk the wand being rebuilt and Villainapolis being attacked by an army of shadows because someone broke into my house." He smirked. "Besides, Grinchelda can always attack the thief with her electric razors."

Ruby giggled at his joke. With such warmth going on at this season, even the Simian Witch using her magic to grow mistletoe on the doorway didn't push the couple into kissing when they did it themselves.

 _Meanwhile, at the South family estate_

 _The Serpent's Tail is no longer with the Fiskes,_ the shadow told Hannah while the latter was busy being bored to death by reading magazines on her bed.

She scowled at the shadow. "Great. The disappearing Shen Gong Wu was a waste! I knew I should have gone on that ski trip with Imora and Sharon!"

 _It's perfect._ The shadow snickered with eagerness. _It's now in the possession of the Grinch's daughter. Taking it from her should be easy..._

"OK, that's it!" Hannah threw aside her magazines and stood up to the shadow. "I may have promised to keep my end of the deal as long as you keep yours, but there's no way I'm putting Grinchelda under a case of mutated plush toys or bomb-ticking flowers! I won't hurt my friend because _you_ want me to."

The shadow hissed and grew to fill Hannah's room, leaving her floating in a dark space. _Allow me to rectify_ , it said in a deep, echoing voice that terrified the princess. _I do the magic that harms while you do the harmless dirty work of fetching the artifacts. Since the Grinch's daughter is your friend, taking it from her should be impossibly easy for you, but if I'm the one doing it,_ _ **there will be pain**_.

*End Of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Jamie Skellington, daughter of Jack Skellington and Sally from THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

*Next Episode: First Period Project Partners


	6. First Period Project Partners

Villains High: First Period Project Partners

Christmas break was over a good two weeks ago. Snow was melting quickly, giving room for muddy roads and kids playing in the mud. The students at VH didn't quite care if they were walking in a bog. For them, it was just off to another great day and everyone was going to do it in high school.

Penna De Mort and Marius Bogfae walked together hand-in-hand to school. "Can you believe that we've been dating for close to a year?" Penna told her beloved boyfriend.

"And almost the one year anniversary of when I first came to Villains High." Marius smiled back at her, completely ignoring the fact that he got his sandals into mud as they got closer to the front stairs. "Everything that you showed me at the school is wonderful. The classes, the extracurricular activities, the friends..." He instantly halted. Wondering why Marius instantly froze and stared away with a glare as cold as ice, Penna followed its direction and saw that Marius and Martin Fiske had come in eye contact. Both boys stood in a cold glaring contest.

"Fancy Pants," Marius greeted Martin.

"Cockroach Stick," Martin greeted back.

Penna groaned in frustration. She then caught sight of Ruby Kyle, the girlfriend of Martin Fiske, standing next to the monkey boy. The daughter of Voldemort held up her hand in greeting. "What's up?"

"Not much." Ruby shrugged. "How about you?"

"Hardly anything. Except feeling that I'm watching a pointless macho competition." She pointed at the boys who hardly moved from their activity.

"How did we end up from criticizing the plotline of _How I Met Your Devil_ together as friends to having our boyfriends being 'friendly rivals'?" Ruby asked.

"Beats me. Something happened in General Evil Monarchy class that landed these two on the same class even when the new school year started. I didn't ask for further details." Penna looked deadpan at Marius. "Sweetie, what happened between you and Monkey Boy that led us to no longer having TV nights?"

"Museum incident." Marius and Martin said in unison.

"Guys, guys! Red alert! Red alert!" Minuit Sparkle and Jessie Joker came running at them, making the boys break their staring contest.

"What happened? Did Coach Kholtas crack and decide to sign the school up for the Villainapolis Marathon?" Penna asked.

"No." Minuit shook her head.

"Did Gollum retire and leave us with Duff Killigan to turn every day into Haggis Day?" Martin stuck his tongue in disgust.

Jessie shuddered in disgust. "God, no!"

"Did Professor Prince John bribe Jekyllyde into suing me?" Ruby asked.

"Why would he sue you? You don't even take General Evil Monarchy," Marius said.

"The guy's so obsessed with gold, he thinks that the thieving kids of VH are under the conspiracy of stealing his goods to sell it away." Ruby shook her head. "Even after we sent him multiple 'We Don't Want Your Gold' cards, he's still suspicious."

"Uh... no, it's not that. It's worse!" Jessie unrolled a poster. "It's First Period Project Fair!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Martin and Penna dropped on their knees and screamed the big no so loudly, the school's local flock of ravens flew away in one giant black cloud.

"Aren't you guys being dramatic?" Marius looked down at his girlfriend and 'friendly rival' acting paranoid.

"Yeah, what's the deal on First Period Projects that scare you?" Ruby agreed.

"Oh, that's right, you guys only started in VH weeks _after_ the last First Period Project Fair!" Minuit said. "Well you see, when Christmas break is over and school has resumed for two weeks, the teachers and staff randomly throw an announcement. Depending on the day they gave the announcement, you partner up with somebody from your first period class and you have to do a week-long project that you're going to present to the entire school and parent committee."

"Oh that sounds fun," Marius said with a smile.

"Yeah, and I have Darts and Crafts as my first period class!" Ruby clapped her hands. "I get to do a week-long project on my favorite class!"

"Guys, you don't get it!" Penna shook her head and she sprung up. "The project part isn't the nightmare. It's the _partner!_ "

"Every year, the first-period teachers use the spin-the-wheel method to force students to team up with somebody they don't like!" Jessie said. "Last year, First Period Project Fair landed on the day I had Devilish Literature and I got stuck with the jeerleading captain Darcy Fae. We spent half the designated time arguing on what type of literature to present and we ended up getting a C+ for reading a poem on the prejudice between commoners and aristocrats!"

"You think _you_ have it bad?" Martin got up. "I got stuck with Edina Lipsky in Technevilology!"

"Didn't you guys get a M+? What did you guys do again?" Penna asked.

"The joyful hazards that automobile circuits can create," Martin grumbled. "Edina knew _so_ much about it, she didn't even want me to touch the keyboard! I practically did nothing!"

The bell rung, indicating that students had to either get to class or get a few more things from their lockers.

"Be brave." Jessie patted her chest à la Bonaparte style. "You're gonna need it."

 _First period Darts and Crafts_

Ruby walked inside her favorite classroom, Darts And Crafts. The smell of mixed Indian oils, acrylic, clay, and graphite welcomed her as she stepped onto the floor covered in purple paint stains.

"Morning, Professor Stromboli," she greeted the former puppet maker who was sitting on his pine-carved desk with carvings of woodpeckers.

"Good morning, Ruby," he said in a pleasant Italian accent. "I hope you are ready, for today we are doing project partners."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Ruby turned to the rows of tables and frowned. Her class only had like twelve or fourteen students total who liked to spread out their workspaces on the tables they had, yet today it seemed like everyone was bundling into the left half of the tables' section. Ruby looked to the right and saw why. In the empty right section, the middle table was occupied by a magenta skinned punk girl with one half of her head shaved and the other covered by a giant pink Mohawk that went down past her shoulders. Ignoring the feared looks that the other students gave her, she continued to sketch in her notebook.

Ruby instantly felt sympathy. Last year, she had been just like this girl: a new girl in school, alone... Well Ruby was afraid of making friends at that time, but maybe if she tried...

Ruby walked over and sat down on the seat next to the girl. The girl didn't react. Ruby acted like everything was normal and went on to take her stuff out of her bag.

"Cool binder."

Ruby turned her head. The girl gave her a small glance before continuing her doodling. Ruby then looked back at her binder, the one she had covered with graffiti paint depicting humanoid cats fighting each other in a wrestling match. The binder the girl had just complimented.

"Thanks," Ruby said. "I made it myself... with a little inspiration of X-Boy Street."

The girl perked her head up and smiled. "Get out! You're a fan of X-Boy Street, the living street artist and part-time wrestler, too?"

"Yeah! His work is what got me into graffiti in the first place!"

"How can you not? The guy is like the king of evil street art!" She held up her book and revealed the graphite sketches she had done on dark unicorns in a style so much like graffiti in a sketchbook. "The way he catches the beauty in darkness and the evil in light is like poetry. I use his mural on Diomedes' mares as my muse." She and Ruby shook hands. "I'm Thyella. New in town."

"Ruby. Surprisingly enough, it's been a year since I was the new girl in school."

Professor Stromboli clapped his hands and class began. "As you have all been announced, First Period Project Fair is on the way. Now I know you've all had your doses of your other first-period teachers using the spin-the-wheel and getting you stuck with somebody you don't like, so I will leave the choosing up to you." The students cheered until Stromboli held his hand up. "That does not mean you can choose to partner up with a friend. You must select somebody that you've never worked with in this class. Also, we have a new student here in Villains High, so if anyone would like to step up and partner up with Thyella Shadow..."

Ruby instantly raised her hand up. "I volunteer!" Thyella gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Ruby." The teacher nodded. "As for everyone else, start partnering and discussing project ideas that will artistically reach out to your public!"

"So, what kind of project would you like to do for Darts and Crafts?" Ruby asked.

"Let me use my non-existent psychic powers." Thyella put her index fingers on her temples and hummed in thought. Ruby giggled as Thyella continued to pretend to have psychic powers. "I see an artwork that represents humans' relationship with horse and feline families."

"We could do a timeline of the humans' relationship with horse and feline families!" Ruby nodded.

"Maybe make it out of graffiti." Thyella gave a thumbs-up.

"A graffiti _mural_ timeline." Ruby grinned.

"Wait, we're talking a timeline that starts from Antiquity all the way to 21st century," Thyella said. "We'd need a massive wall."

"Yeah." Ruby nodded. "Or maybe a bunch of walls..."

The girls grinned in unison when one of the other students dropped a bag full of quarters.

 _Meanwhile, in General Evil Monarchy class_

Prince John wrote down the newest project duo before calling Martin up to the dreaded Wheel Of Horrible Partners.

Martin looked in dread at the machine that could place him with the worst imaginable fate ever. He slowly reached for the handle and brought it down. The annoying spinning sound of a casino machine flowed in his ears as he mentally begged to not get a lazy bum or a partner that wouldn't let him do anything. Even though the machine stopped, he didn't dare to look at it and covered his eyes.

"Well Martin, looks like you'll be partnering up with Marius Bogfae!" Prince John said.

Martin looked like he had been turned into an ice statue that broke into a million pieces. Marius felt like dust being blown away from his desk. " **WHAT**?" They both exclaimed.

"Looks like you two will be having fun for the next seven days," Speciosus Narissa snickered as he pointed at the Wheel of Horrible Partners. The two boys looked in horror at the device. Marius' face was plastered on Marius' winning slot.

" **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**!" They both screamed.

 _Back in Darts And Crafts_

The ravens outside flew away in a mass while cars in the teachers' parking lot honked in a chorus at what sounded like a distant screaming 'no'. Such racket caused the students from Darts And Crafts to stop in their work to listen to the awful music.

"What the hell was that?" Nora Belartiste asked.

"Eh. It's just my boyfriend Martin screaming from the General Evil Monarchy classroom." Ruby shrugged and went back to the rough sketches she and Thyella were working on.

"How can you tell?" Thyella asked out of curiosity.

"Oddly enough, I picked up the fact that weird stuff follows whenever somebody throws a big, screaming 'NO'," Ruby said casually. "With Martin, it's flying ravens and honking cars. Florence Poison Isley, everyone in the building gets a sprinkler shower. Xaos Sethson, mummies start walking out of the janitor's closet. Charles Frollo, surrounding bells fall down from the local churches and crash into cars. Amelia Hall, llamas stampede."

"Llamas stampede?" Thyella frowned.

"She's got a phobia of llamas. Don't ask."

 _Later at lunchtime in the Cruella-teria_

Martin and Marius said nothing all the way up to lunchtime. They sat on opposite sides of their lunch table, their eyes looking at opposite directions and their backs hunched. From Penna's perspective, it was like watching the crooked reflection of a brooding emo teen aside from the fact that only their bowls of gruel remained intact.

"OK, I don't know what happened at the museum incident that made you boys dislike each other, but that feud's gonna have to take a break if you want to make sure that you get a good grade on this," she said.

"Easier said than done," Martin snorted.

"At least Prince John was generous enough to assign you the project rather than watching you fight over it for the next seven days." She rolled her eyes. "A project dedicated to him. That should be easy for you two."

"How is flattering a teacher _easy_?" Marius questioned.

"Who said you have to flatter? You can easily insult through partnering projects. I've seen many groups who can't come up with ideas that they agree to do offensive art. Lots of them actually get M+ for publically sadistic emotional cruelty exposure and detention hours when a faculty member gets insulted." Penna chuckled. "I'll never forget the time when Jessie bound the Cruella-teria Gollum to an electrical chair and forced him to tell the truth to the audience about what he thinks of his employers. It was the day when we discovered what they put in the mystery meat."

"Oh yeah! That was the one where all the vegetarians threw up!" Martin covered his mouth just for thinking about it.

"So, sweetie, who did you get saddled with this time?" Marius asked Penna.

"Please!" Penna snickered as she checked her nails. "I'm the most dreaded creature in the entire school! First-Period Project Fair is in the bag for me, I pick who I want. This year, I didn't even have to boss Professor Narissa for a partner in Villainous Witchcraft. Brittany volunteered."

"The Crouch girl? That makes sense." Marius nodded. "What is your project on?"

"Pros and cons of blood magic," she shrugged. "I got my part for the half-blood, Brittany's got the pureblood wizardry covered, and we have a _lot_ to reveal about Mudbloods."

"Charming." Martin stuck his spoon into his gruel. He then caught sight of Mystère Darkholme passing by with a tray full of food. The moment the blue boy got close to their table, Martin called him out. "Mystère. Have you seen Ruby? She hasn't texted me to let me know if she was joining me for lunch or going with you or Noir or the others from your gang."

"Sorry, dude. Ruby went out to take Thyella for lunch." Mystère shook his head.

"Thyella?"

"A new chick from a military compound in Hungolia. She just started today," the son of Mystique said. "From what I heard, they partnered for their first-period project in Darts and Crafts." He shrugged and left off. Martin rolled his eyes and dropped his face right into the bowl of gruel while the other two just stared at him.

"Normally this is one of my previous multiple excuses for never dating until I actually started dating," Penna said.

"Landing your face in a pot of gruel?" Marius lifted up his spoon and frowned in confusion at the grey goo of oatmeal that cascaded back into his bowl.

"Nah. Emotional dependency."

 _Sunday afternoon_

Ruby and Thyella spray-painted on the road going under the Bermuda Boulevard Bridge. They were lucky to have placed traffic cones on the streets up ahead and behind them. That way, the cars wouldn't get in the way of their project.

"This is going to be the best First-Period Project ever!" Ruby snickered as she shook her bottle of pink paint and continued to spray.

"We are so going to get a bill from the mayor for this," Thyella agreed while she worked on outlining with black paint. She turned to the sidewalk, where Jessie Joker was setting up her filming camera. "By the way, Jokester, thanks for filming all of this."

"Anytime." Jessie rotated her camera and lifted up her head. She screamed through a microphone. "Hey, no unauthorized civilians on the set!"

Ruby and Thyella stopped their work and got up. They jumped in shock when they saw Martin and Marius walking on the other sidewalk, each guy covered in bruises, reddened skin, and either torn clothes or exoskeleton cracks.

"Martin, what the... Why on earth are you..." Ruby hurried over to him and rubbed on his bruises. "What the Hell?"

"That's your boyfriend?" Thyella asked. "I thought you said he was a lord. He looks like he threw himself in a wrestling match between Steel Gas and Pain Hun!"

"Nice to meet you too," Martin replied drily. He glared at Marius, who scoffed at him.

"Uh oh," Jessie got away from her camera. "That's the alert for 'I hate my First Period Project partner'. You guys have been fighting rather than working together." She opened up a cooler and took out plastic cups and bottles of soda. "Luckily, I come prepared with emergency beverages and ice packs."

"I agree. Let's all take a break." Ruby helped Martin sit down on the sidewalk. Thyella and Marius joined them and Jessie started handing out the drinks and ice packs, the last objects being for the boys.

"Jessie, aren't you supposed to be working on a project with a partner?" Marius winced when the ice pack met his shoulder.

"Nope. I didn't have first period classes on the day they gave the announcement. Anyone who doesn't have a first period either sits back or helps tech wise," Jessie shrugged. "Besides, I need to improvise in documentary ideas for the Documentary Filming Club, and Ruby and Thyella gave me the opportunity to film their project."

"Wish I had your luck," the prince grumbled. Martin scowled at him.

"The Prince John biography ain't working out for you?" Jessie smirked.

"How'd you know?"

"Penna told me. Besides, I could hear Monkey Boy screaming five blocks away from here after you pushed him off the building."

"You pushed my boyfriend off a building?" Ruby exclaimed.

"It was for acting! We were trying to figure out how to present the scene where Prince John has to deal with Robin Hood raiding his castle!" Marius protested.

"That explains why he looks so ruffled up." Thyella cracked a Groot Beer bottle open and opened it up. "Maybe you guys could just retake all your arguing scenes and pretend that you were doing improv-comedy?"

"We argued so much, we didn't have time to write anything on paper," Martin said sourly.

"Maybe if you thought a bit on your grade point average, you'd at least be halfway though." His girlfriend tossed him a cross look.

"Me? What about you? Why are you vandalizing the road?" Martin waved at the graffiti the girls were making on the road.

"Oh, this is part of our Darts And Crafts project. Graffiti depictions of the timeline of horses and cats relationship with humans. Observe." Ruby got up and walked until she stood on the graffiti painting of a cat being sliced in half. She then made a gagging noises, pretended to wobble, and fainted on the ground. "Oh, you cruel world! Why, why did I have to be a black cat? Is it because I am the plague of your superstitions, the familiar of your worst nightmares? Kill me now, but I will haunt you in your sleep!" Ruby then reacted as if she got a stroke and fell to the ground.

"We're even hiring a stunt man to fake the scene of Ruby getting hit by a truck and we're vandalizing so many buildings in the city for it," Thyella chuckled. Her eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. "I got an idea!"

 _3..._

 _2..._

 _1..._

 **Joker Studios proudly presents: TIMELINE OF ANIMALISTIC TYRANTS. (Note, this is a silent black-and-white movie.)**

 **Actors: Marius Bogfae (Prince John)**

 **Martin Fiske: Robin Hood**

 **Thyella Shadow and Ruby Kyle: Robin Hood's Merry Girls**

 _Villainapolis, 2018._

 _The Merry Girls are doing a graffiti of a butcher butchering a horse and serving horsemeat to customers. Said butler runs out of restaurant and mutely screams at the Merry Girls and the two run off._

 _Cut to Prince John in glittery robes going through his money bank until Robin Hood breaks through the window and swings out with the loot. Prince John shakes his arms in a tantrum._

 _At the Museum of Natural Vile History, the Merry Girls are vandalizing the outer wall with a painting of Sekmeth riding a chariot drawn by horses. Museum curators shoo the Merry Girls out but take the time to admire the vandalism in question._

 _Cut to Prince John jumping on his taxi drawn by horses and freaking out when he sees Robin Hood, dressing up as a witch with a black cat, and robbing of his money again._

 _A series of images showing the Merry Girls running away with smiles after putting graffiti on a toy store, a bridge, the mayor's office, and the Hun station._

 _Cut to Robin Hood and Prince John fighting and the latter accidently falling down to the road below and getting hit by a truck. He dies sucking his thumb while laying on the graffiti of the cat in half._

 **That's all, folks**

 _Friday afternoon, after school_

Marius dunked the sponge into the bucket and continued scrubbing even more on the graffiti at the butcher's place.

"Smart idea you had, Thyella," he said half-sarcastically. "Combining our projects and getting the same loot."

"It's not all that bad." She shrugged. "We all got M+, Prince John gave you boys detention for ruining his reputation, and to avoid being sued, we have to do community service by cleaning the art we made."

"Except the museum." Ruby chuckled as she scrubbed. "The Sekmeth image attracted so many tourists, the curators are actually considering keeping it."

"And Joker even got extra credit even though she wasn't assigned for anything on the First Period Project Fair," Martin added. "Professor Count Olaf even offered to write her letters of recommendation for any possible future filming internship."

"Jessie Joker, the next Tim Burton!" Marius waved his hand as if to indicate a possible headline. This made the others laugh. The idea of a Jessie Burton was hilariously terrifying.

"Uh, Fancy Pants? I'm sorry about our fighting. I guess I let the museum incident get into my head too much," Marius sincerely apologized to Martin.

"Let's just forget it ever happened." Martin shrugged and shook hands with the prince. The girls smiled at the sight of such a friendly make-up.

A beeping sound came from Thyella's pocket. She took out what appeared to be a black PDA and had a look at it. "Shit. The White Emerald and the Cypress Shaft have been brought together..."

"You know about the Wand of Heian?" Martin asked.

"How do _you_ know about it?" Thyella raised an eyebrow at them. They all gave her _Ladies first_ glares. "Fine. I'm not just here as a transfer student. The Hungolian military compound I come from primarily sent me to investigate and locate a shadow that escaped her prison. Her jail was located in the Hungolian Badlands, completely inaccessible to men, but heat thermal readers said that an inhabitant from Villainapolis managed to go into that terrible territory and leave alive, but with the prison open."

"Wait, are you saying that somebody from Villainapolis broke a shadow out?" Marius frowned. "You do realize that when you put the words together, it doesn't make sense?"

"Not just any shadow," Thyella shook her head. "The shadow form of Chelsey Young."

Martin gasped and dropped his sponge. "Chelsey Young! No way!" He exclaimed, half excited yet half scared.

"You know her?" Marius asked.

"Heard about her." Martin corrected. "Chelsey Young was the daughter of Chase Young, the immortal Heylin Prince of Darkness himself. She was venerated as a vicious warrior deity by the Huns and she and her father made an invincible force of vicious nature! My mother taught me everything there is to know about them!"

"Did your mom ever tell you how they disappeared?" Thyella asked.

"Uh, no. Heck, she never told me what happened to them. I just assumed they were still roaming the Earth."

"They weren't. 1500 years ago, after Dashi locked Wuya and her son Hanlin in separate puzzle boxes, he began to hunt down the Young Clan, who tried to seize the opportunity to plunge the world into eternal darkness. While Dashi had no trouble using the Ying-Yang Yoyos to throw Chase Young into the Ying-Yang World, Chelsey was so challenging to beat, he created the Wand of Heian to turn her into a shadow, reducing her power levels, and then locked her inside the cave in the Hungolian Badlands." Thyella sat down on the bench. "But with Chelsey out of her imprisonment and the White Emerald and Cypress Shaft reunited, I fear that it is only a matter of time before she finds the Serpent's Tail and the Reversing Mirror."

"Wait, I thought that the Serpent's Tail was the third and last relic required to make the wand," Ruby said.

"To turn any physical being into a shadow, yes, but Chelsey already got turned into a shadow. The Reversing Mirror can reverse any Shen Gong Wu effect, so if she uses it with the Wand of Heian..."

"She'll turn back to solid and use her full powers to take over the world." Marius realized. "Where are the Serpent's Tail and the Reversing Mirror now?"

"My father gave the tail to Grinchelda after she stole it to deliver presents on Christmas," Martin said.

"And I have no idea where the mirror is other than I have to locate it before Chelsey and her human ally find it first." Thyella looked at the PDA. "According to my portable informer, the White Emerald and the Cypress Shaft were located in the Northern District of Villainapolis. Does that ring any bells to you?"

"That's the neighborhood I live in!" Martin exclaimed. "Why would any of the aristocrats who live there want to free an ancient shadow or help her regain her full powers?"

"I think because the human wouldn't have a choice." Thyella bit her lip. "After the cave was found empty of its prisoners, some of the compound scientists took samples of the stones that made the prison. They discovered that the stones transmit slow killing viruses to anyone who touches them."

"Hm. Must be to give any outsider the deduction that liberating Chelsey was a bad idea." Marius said. "And not a dumb technique on Young's part."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not dumb for a blackmailing strategy. Think about it, if Chelsey wanted to, she'd have figured out that the stones would slowly kill any mortal who touched them and the latter would do anything to avoid death. Suppose a mortal unintentionally freed her and got poisoned with the virus. Young could easily say 'Deal with me. You get the pieces I need for a wand that will make me fleshy again and I will use my godly powers to cure you!'"

Thyella ran through her hair in thought. "That's not dumb... and not unlike her."

"So whoever is assembling the pieces would do it because she promised to save the victim's life," Ruby said. "But who is it? Who freed Chelsey Young?"

* End Of Episode

* Characters Introduced:

Thyella Shadow, daughter of Tempest Shadow from MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE

Brittany Crouch, daughter of Barty Crouch Jr. from HARRY POTTER

*Next Episode: Aren't We Friends?


	7. Aren't We Friends?

Villains High: Aren't We Friends?

The school bell rung and students ran out of their classrooms. Grinchelda May Whovier left her class and headed to her locker. Her inner wonderland of string lights, school supplies, gift wraps, gym clothes, and other holiday treasures exploded onto her. Figuratively, of course, because if it were literal, everything would have made a big mess on the floor and the janitor would be complaining about sweeping away broken glass.

Just as she switched her Evil Drama class supplies from her backpack for her locker's Wicked Bakery textbook, a knock came from the other side of the locker door. She looked behind it and found a royal student leaning on the lockers.

"How do you do, Grinchelda?" Hannah South greeted her with a big smile.

"Han, how are you... Why do you look whiter than usual?" Grinchelda asked in concern.

Out of worry, Hannah pulled out a compact mirror to see what Grinchelda meant, and she saw that the former wasn't kidding: her usually warm complexion was getting paler and she could almost see her blue veins darkening at the bottom of her neck. She clamped her mirror shut. "Diarrhea. I've been getting a lot of it this week."

"Hm. Yeah, Gollum has been putting a lot of his junk meat in the burgers," Grinchelda said as she put her book in her bag. "I mostly have lunch at the Brewing Cupcake."

"Right," Hannah said. "Say, we haven't had the occasion to hang out lately. Would you like to stop by at my place sometime this weekend and have a sleepover?"

"Let me check out my calendar." Grinchelda pulled out a string light. A banner sprung out, a trumpet fanfare blew, and confetti exploded as the red candy cane words 'GMW SHEH-DUEL' blinded the nearest fly. "OK, on Saturday and Sunday. 4pm, wrap my ego in paper and ship it to the four points of the Earth. 4:30pm, assist Daddy in blueprints for new factory machinery components. 5pm, figure out a way to make sure everyone in the world lives with the same amount of cash. 5:30pm, Maori haka exercise show..."

"You do Maori haka?" Hannah frowned.

"Yeah, it helps to scare off haircutters. 6:30pm, dinner with my grandmothers. 7pm, season marathon of HOW I MET YOUR DEVIL..."

"I don't suppose you're available at lunchtime?" Hannah asked quietly.

Grinchelda leaned closer to have a better look at her calendar. "I got nothing between 11am and 1:30pm. We can grab some lunch."

"Great. Treat's on me at the Tweedy VIP Salon and Boutique," Hannah said.

"I'll meet you there." Grinchelda smiled and left off for class. Hannah sighed as she watched her friend leave and snuck to the girls' bathroom. She instantly punched on the mirror, shattering it.

 _As if your possible death wasn't bad enough, you want seven years of bad luck_? The shadow hissed. Hannah didn't have to turn her back. She just had to look up and see the shadow's crooked reflection as it stood behind her.

"Grinchelda's never going to trust me after I steal the Serpent's Tail from her," Hannah said bitterly.

 _Boo hoo,_ the shadow said drily. _The daughter of Prince Hans, the infamous frozen-hearted anti-antihero ice queen, is afraid of losing her friend, the Grinch's daughter. Grow a spine, already! It's not my fault if you accidentally touched the stones of my prison and got hit by the virus!_ The shadow sighed and took a deep patient breath. _But I am a villain of my word. Once you get the Serpent's Tail from May Whovier and wherever the Reversing Mirror is, I get my body back and I shall cure you of your virus._

"And once you've cured me?" Hannah asked. 'What will happen then?"

 _Oh, I'll spare you and let you run off since you won't be of any use to me and I'll take over the world. Good news, you'll live as a token of my gratitude. Bad news, you can start learning to live a frozen life of solitude because you can guarantee that you won't have anyone left once they find out that_ _ **you**_ _set_ _ **me**_ _free!_

The shadow cackled and dissolved out of the light. Hannah slipped onto the bathroom's cold floor and cried.

 _An hour later_

Martin, Ruby, Marius, and Thyella followed Dwight Barron as he led them through a dark wooden corridor. They had to push through the curtains made of dangling buttons ranging in different colorful patterns as they traveled through them. Some were in straight rainbow patterns, others were black to white, and the rest were ranged in different saturations.

After going through the last curtain, they entered a room with a dome designed with silver spiderweb patterns. Just like in the hallway, the ceiling had hanging button strings that glowed from the light of the room's sole window and reflected onto the koi pond full of button-eyed koi fish. On the other side, a girl in a black kimono-fashioned outfit sat cross-legged and was eating Asian to-go food with chopsticks. She saw her visitors coming and gulped down her last bite before putting her food aside.

"I see I have visitors," she said. "Daughter of Catwoman, son of Monkey Fist and the Simian Witch, son of the Bog King and Fairy Queen Marianne, and daughter of Tempest Shadow. Greetings..."

"Otrera, we go to school together," Marius interrupted. Martin punched him in the stomach and bowed to Otrera.

"Forgive our friend, Consultant Beldam. He doesn't know that outside of Villains High, the daughter of the Other Mother is a freelance consultant and informant... for a good price."

Ruby pulled out a brown sack from her bag and put it by the pond. Otrera gestured to Dwight and he walked over to pour the sack's content onto the wooden floor. Thousands of colorful buttons fell like a sewing rapid.

"That's a lot of buttons," Otrera whistled. "How the heck did you manage to find so many? Especially with the rise of leather fashion."

"Easy. We went around from door to door asking people for unwanted buttoned clothing. As a reward, they get ten bucks for free," Ruby said.

"You wasted a thousand bucks just for buttons?" Dwight exclaimed.

"Don't be ridiculous. We only wasted 40 bucks on 4 people and got 10 buttons over all. The _real_ booty was when one of my neighbors, Esmé Squalor, wanted to get rid of _all_ her clothing with buttons because 'leather is in, buttons are out'," Martin said. "I still can't believe that she spent the last two years walking around in Lolita dresses made entirely of buttons. _Eight_ dresses made of _800_ buttons!"

"That's some booty." Otrera nodded. Her blue button eyes flashed. "So, what kind of information would you like to receive?"

"Ms Beldam," Thyella said, "I come from Hungolian and there's report that an ancient evil named Chelsey Young got unwittingly released into the world. It is our conclusion that she's after the Wand of Heian and the Reversing Mirror to get her body back and plunge the world into darkness. The White Emerald and the Cypress Shaft are probably in her grasp and the Serpent's Tail is currently in trusted hands. All we ask is for advice on where to find the Reversing Mirror and whoever unlocked Chelsey out of her prison."

"Hm." Otrera got up, crossed her arms, and looked up at the rain of glowing buttons. "Is that all you have?"

"Well Thyella's compound managed to trace the White Emerald and Cypress Shaft in the Northern District," Martin said.

"Why would a Northern District aristocrat want to keep a shadow with them?" Dwight asked while Otrera pulled down on one string and brought its buttons down towards the Earth.

"The prison was hidden in the badlands and encased by stones holding a virus," Thyella explained. "Whoever released Chelsey Young did it by accident, but because he or she touched the stones, the virus affected them, and since Chelsey Young is a villainess of her word, her savior might reform the Wand of Heian in the hopes that Chelsey will gain her powers and provide the cure."

"A waste of time, if you ask me." Otrera tossed the string of buttons into the pond. The waters began to ripple into colorful waves until they all dissolved into grayness. "The first thing I can help with is to trace Northern District aristocrat movement patterns along with their shadows. If what you say is true and this is an ancient shadow, then its energy signature must be powerful." Otrera held out her arms as if to hug the air. A map of Villainapolis appeared and red dots began to move around in the streets.

"What are these?" Marius pointed at a dot that was entering Bergen and Troll.

"Energy signatures of all the residents of the Northern District," Dwight said. "The buttons that Otrera threw into the water previously belonged to those residents..." He paused when they saw a black cloud following a certain red dot. "Well, here's Chelsey Young following a resident."

"Ugh! I can sense Chelsey's magic energy!" Otrera closed her eyes and reopened them. "It's not fully powerful, but enough to create great dangers and... She fogged up the identity of the resident and where he or she lives. All I can see... is that Chelsey Young followed her host a lot in Villains High."

"Villains High?" Marius shook his head in disbelief. "Are you saying that a _student_ unleashed Chelsey Young?"

"Hang on." Ruby snapped her fingers. "The invasion of mutated otterflies on Halloween, the near explosion of a corpse flower, and the White Emerald and Professor Vanderfleet's missing discovered tree! The crazy stuff that happened was just a way to distract anyone from noticing the thefts! And Seeder Gigi, being the Heylin Seed's kid, sensed Heylin black magic when Florence's neon baby corpse flowers got turned into a giant plant capable of gassing us to death in the Botanical Biochemistry lab!"

"Chelsey Young must have had enough powers to simply contaminate mere objects to turn into monsters that would lure unwanted eyes away while her host, being familiar with the school, took advantage of the distractions to break into both the principal's office and the lab," Thyella concluded. "I wouldn't be surprised if Chelsey was capable of detecting their presence. I mean, she and her father were capable of detecting Shen Gong Wu..."

"Shen Gong Wu... Shit!" Marius cussed.

"Language, please!" Otrera scolded.

"I apologize. It's just that I remembered that my lackey Kit told me that she and her boyfriend Safír Dragon witnessed Hannah South defeating Hanlin Wuya in a Xiaolin Showdown and using the Crown of Solomon to turn him fleshy and with only a quarter of his powers."

"Yeah, it was in the UNHOLY GAZETTE," Martin said. "So?"

"Wait a minute. Wuya's offspring is on the loose too?" Thyella freaked out.

"Relax. He's mostly vulnerable and hangs out with Speciosus," Marius said. "But it hit me. Hannah South is not normally the kind of person who cares about the end of the world unless it threatens her pedicure. So why would she challenge and easily defeat Hanlin, an immortal sorcerer, and instead of putting him in a puzzle box, just let him free and with little powers? How did she even know how to beat him?"

"I think you're being a bit ridiculous, Marius," Ruby said. "This is the daughter of Prince Hans. I think she would have spent the spring break in a Doombai mall rather than in Hungolian badlands."

"Sorry, Tough Tigress, but I'm going to have to agree with him," her boyfriend Martin said. "You know how all Villains High students can't resist bragging on the topic of what they did on their vacations?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Hannah's the queen of bragging when it comes to telling the whole class what her vacation was like. I've been in Villains High since I was a freshman, I've been stuck in the same General Evil Monarchy than Hannah South and she **always** brags about her vacations. Except after we came back from the last spring break, she told the class that she stayed home."

"Well..."

"In a bored manner!" Martin grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and shook her. "That royal brat lives on cash! She usually never lifts her pinkie to do homework and she ALWAYS travels to other places at high costs my own parents wouldn't afford!"

"So you think that she spent her spring break in Hungolia, stepped into the badlands, and didn't talk about her spring break because she didn't want to say that she released a spirit that cost her life?" Thyella asked.

"Do you think that's possible?" Dwight asked Otrera. To answer his question, she held out her arms and scanned her magical map. "I'm afraid they might be right. I rechecked the identities of all the energy located suspects... and I can't locate Hannah South among any of the ones outside of Chelsey's fog."

"Hannah South did release Chelsey Young," Marius sighed.

Ruby's eyes widened. "Oh no. Grinchelda is friends with Hannah. Martin, your parents gave the Serpent's Tail to Grinchelda! What if Chelsey Young decides to use Hannah to get the Serpent's Tail from Grinchelda?"

"She could be in trouble!" Martin pulled out his phone and headed for the hallway.

"And the Reversing Mirror?" Thyella asked.

An image appeared in the pond. The white mirror with black dragons and the yin-yang appeared. It looked like it was resting on a massive pile of gold, but buried in thousands of jewels, polished artifacts, and crystal violet flowers.

"I recognize those flowers!" Marius exclaimed. "They're amethyst jewels shaped like Night Violets! They were fabricated as Fae Realm symbols when my parents married and united the two kingdoms! And with that pile of gold... The Reversing Mirror's located in my family's treasure room at the palace!"

"Why would a Shen Gong Wu be in your parents' treasure room?" Dwight asked.

"How should I know? My parents are always getting thousands of gifts from the citizens on their wedding anniversaries, they have nowhere to put them in their chambers and just put them among the treasures!"

"Grinchelda's not answering her phone," Martin called out.

"Looks like we'll have to find her." Thyella got up and bowed to Otrera. "Thank you so much, Ms. Beldam, for your assistance."

"Anytime." The latter bowed her head.

"Marius, take Ruby with you and see if you can pay a quick visit to your parents. Martin and I will go track down Grinchelda before Chelsey Young can force Hannah South to grab the Serpent's Tail," Thyella told Marius.

The prince chuckled nervously. "Uh, about that. I don't think it's a good idea for me to bring Ruby. My parents... might mistake her for Penna."

"Oh don't tell me you still haven't introduced your folks to Penna!" Ruby exclaimed. "Marius, you've got to introduce your folks to your girlfriend at _some_ point!"

"I want to and they want to, really!" Marius protested. "But Penna's mortified at the possibility of gaining my parents' disdain and I fear that if I introduce my girlfriend, my grandmother will beg to prepare the wedding!"

"Great! We'll bring Penna! NOW COME ON!" Ruby pushed Marius into the hallway.

"Is she always like this?" Otrera asked Martin.

"Only when she has to pep talk me into manning up," he sighed.

"OK, while they worry about the mirror, here's my next question and it's completely random," Thyella said. "Where could Grinchelda be by now?"

 _Saturday lunch, at Tweedy VIP Salon and Boutique_

The Tweedy VIP Salon and Boutique was a fancy salon that Miranda Tweedy would only open to the people of status who could afford it. Even eating the baked homemade crumpets and tea sandwiches cost a hundred blights, which was too much for a commoner, but if you were someone with status and money, it wasn't an issue.

Evidently, when Miranda saw Hannah South bringing in Grinchelda May Whovier, she was very displeased at first but thought she would let it go since Hannah South was a frequent customer. For the next hour, the girls were sitting at one of the lavender-colored booths next to the windows giving a good sky view of the city of Villainapolis (the Tweedy VIP Salon and Boutique was on the tenth floor of a skyscraper in Malhattan). They drank their warm drinks and ate the tea sandwiches and fruit and cheese platters and did some conversation. Well, Grinchelda did most of the talking and she stopped when she noticed that Hannah, who kept staring at her in focus (but primarily at the Serpent's Tail pendant tucked under Grinchelda's shirt), was beginning to wear out.

"Honestly, Hannah, what's going on?" Grinchelda said. "You love tea lunches and you look exhausted."

"Whatever do you mean?" Hannah drank from her teacup full of Earl Grey.

"You're a whole lot paler than before." OK, this was way too nice to describe the ghastly scene. Hannah's skin was getting _bone_ white and Grinchelda could have sworn that she saw Hannah's skin sticking right onto the shape of her skull.

"Too much Earl Grey?" Hannah chuckled nervously. She pushed her teacup aside and got up. "Excuse me for a moment." Without even bothering to mention that she needed to powder her nose, Hannah raced to the bathroom. Grinchelda frowned in worry.

"Aren't we friends, Hannah?" She said quietly. "Why won't you tell me what is happening to you?"

"I reckon she doesn't wanna to tell you her dark secret."

Grinchelda jumped. A girl had just appeared out of nowhere and was sitting on the spot that Hannah had just sat on. She looked like a teenage girl but with the modern black-and-cream-yellow modern Southern belle dress, red and green gloves, and cowboy veiled hat, Grinchelda couldn't see much of the age or even the skin color. Even her hair was tucked inside her hat.

"This seat is taken," Grinchelda said firmly.

"Only until your friend comes back from her conference in the ladies room," the Southern Belle said. "I am pleased ta make your acquaintance, Miss May Whovier."

"Seriously, who the Hell are you?" Grinchelda was getting impatient.

"A newcomer with a a-warnin' ta share with ya concerning your friend, Princess Hannah South." The figure tapped her right hand, the one with a red glove, onto the tablecloth. "You see, she merely done invited you faw this here tea party because she wants to take the Serpent's Tail on your necklace."

Grinchelda put her hand over the area where she had tucked the necklace. "How could any of you two know that I have it?"

"Let's just say I have resources... and your friend is a-bein' done pulled by a shadow that there blackmailed her with a plague. Your friend done touched something forbidden and the shadow is a-treatin' her like a mule. Do you know what villains do ta mules?"

"I do." Grinchelda remembered what Professor Count Olaf had taught once in Evil Drama Class. "The stick and carrot to the mule clause. How you use a prize to lure or a punishment to force a mule forward."

"Exactly. Your friend is the mule. The reward the shadow done promised is the cure ta the plague in exchange faw the weapon."

"And the punishment?"

"Grinchelda! I'm back!"

Grinchelda turned her head to see Hannah coming back and when she looked at the table again, she frowned. The Southern Belle had disappeared.

"Hannah, we need to talk," Grinchelda said sternly.

"Is this about May Who again?" Hannah took a final sip of her teacup. All of a sudden, Hannah dropped it onto the floor and joined in by falling off her seat. Hannah gagged like a fish out of water.

"What happened?" Miranda Tweedy exclaimed when she saw one of her clients on the floor.

"Get an ambulance!" Grinchelda rushed to Hannah and held the princess' head in her hands. "Hannah, don't go! Stay with me!"

"G...G... Grinch..." Hannah grabbed Grinchelda by the wrists. "Ch... Chelsey Young... Hide the White Emerald and the Cypress Shaft..." She breathed one last time and collapsed.

"Hannah? HANNAH!"

 _Two hours later, at the Medea Hospital_

Doctor Medea gave the update to Grinchelda, Prince Hans, and the others who tagged along when they heard the news.

"Her health got better for some inexplicable reason, but we needed to place her in a coma," the witch healer said. "Who knows if the virus might still reside in her system?"

"My daughter..." Prince Hans put his hand over his mouth to hold back his tears.

"I still can't believe that she released an ancient evil like Chelsey Young.

"It wasn't her fault," Thyella said. "After so many years of ignorance, no one aside from the Huns could have known that the stones making Chelsey's prison would have a virus. Hannah poisoned herself by accident and Chelsey took advantage of her condition."

"So why does Hannah look better?" Martin asked.

Grinchelda gasped. "The Southern Belle cowboy!" She hissed.

"What?" They were all confused.

"While Hannah was in the bathroom at Tweedy VIP Salon and Boutique, I got accosted by a Southern Belle dressed chick with a veiled cowboy hat. She told me that Hannah was plagued and a shadow was treating like a stick and carrot to a mule, and right when Hannah came back, boom!" She snapped her fingers. "She vanished! And Hannah collapsed after she drank her tea! I bet the chick put something in her tea when I had my head turned!"

"A Southern Belle with a veiled cowboy hat put something in Hannah's tea?" Martin frowned. "I don't get it."

"Whoever it was cured my daughter from her nightmarish disease that made her walk around like a corpse," Prince Hans said, "but vanished?"

"I don't like it." Thyella grimaced. "Chelsey Young's shadow was nowhere and the Huns managed to locate the White Emerald and the Cypress Shaft when they inspected your castle. Without her puppet, she could find herself a new one to get what she wants and now we know somebody knew that Chelsey was released..."

"Does the Hungolian compound have agents with a Southern accent?" Grinchelda suggested.

"None. And there's nothing in the training charts about going undercover as a Southern Belle. Too many ruffles. Either Hannah was spied on when she released Chelsey or _somebody else_ already knew that the stones were poisoned and tried to warn us. Prince Hans, was your daughter with anyone during the spring break?"

"I couldn't let her bring a servant with her," the prince shook his head. "You see, I heard of the Diejing Opera and I wanted to surprise Hannah by sending her on a trip there to enjoy their once-in-a-lifetime showing of 17th century tragedy ballets. The flight there was fine, but for some reason the airport in Diejing was closed down for renovations. At the last minute, I had to set up a train ticket so that Hannah could cross the border to fly back home from the Hungolian National Airport. She had to disguise herself as a commoner since the villages the train crossed were going under revolts of slave abuse."

"Oh, yeah. Most of East Hungolian is having that kind of issues. The president fears possible communism." Thyella nodded. "Hannah must have gotten off the train if it took a stop in the badlands."

"So what now?" Grinchelda asked. "Do we just wait until Chelsey decides to fetch a new servant to collect the items? I mean, now that she knows Villainapolis, she could get anyone to guide her around until she gets them!"

"Then we do what the guy who turned her into a shadow did in the first place when he destroyed the Wand of Heian once he no longer needed it," Martin said. "We hide the items away from Villainapolis. The only question: where do we hide them?"

"Well you can call your girlfriend and ask her to tell Marius' parents to secure the Reversing Mirror's hiding spot in their treasure room," Thyella said.

"If you are going to hide ancient artifacts, I, as an ancient Greek witch, would highly recommend you to hide the items in cities with mystical energies or ancient labyrinths that would make locating them harder," Doctor Medea said.

"I recommend the City of Perish in Fearance," Prince Hans suggested. "The catacombs have layers and layers of mysteries."

"Good idea. And Charles Frollo and Nora Belartiste are both from Perish," Martin said. "They can help us around."

"Looks like we're packing our bags to the Eastern Hemisphere," Thyella said.

 _Meanwhile, in a well-off house in suburban Malhattan_

A cell phone buzzed on the red metal desk of some dark room. An albino hand covered by a black fingerless glove grabbed it and answered it. "Hi Mom," a girl's voice answered. "Uh huh. Oh, you'll be late from work. That's OK, I can just heat up some pizza from the freezer. Yeah. Don't worry, I'm almost done typing my resumé. Love you, bye." The girl put down her phone and resumed typing.

Something slipped from the air vent. Chelsey Young's shadow reformed herself back to shape and moved her way towards the desk. The girl still had her back turned and her eyes focused on her laptop.

"Chase Young's offspring." The shadow froze in her tracks. "Get out of my house," the girl said without turning her concentration from what she was typing.

 _You know who I am?_ Chelsey asked.

"I know _what_ you are. Somebody I don't want in my house. I'm not my dad. I don't squeal never see a so-called Prince of Darkness."

 _What on earth are you talking about?_

"Typical. Chase Young's offspring doesn't know that my dad idolized Chase Young... only for the immortal jackass to reject his admiration and treat him like an insect. Well, I'm not like that. Get out."

 _Well I was trapped in a cave for fifteen hundred years as a shadow. I am looking for help to rebuild my body. Help me find a few things and I can give you whatever you want. I swear on the River Styx!_ Chelsey declared.

"You do realize that if you swear something on the River Styx, it's a permanent oath, right?" The girl let out a bloody red lipstick smile paste onto her face. Chelsey Young gave an 'Oh, Crap' look as the wheeled chair flipped around and revealed some redhead bob haircut albino in strange clothing. She lifted up her yellow hypnotic lab goggles, revealing that like any albino, she had red eyes. Only if Chelsey's shadow hadn't known she was a human, she could have been mistaken as a vampire. "Would you swear to me on the River Styx that if I help you 'recover', you will grant me half of your global domination earnings?"

 _You are a slippery one._ Chelsey's shadow grimaced before smirking. _We have a deal._

"Perfect."

 _Just to know. Who am I dealing with here?_

"You can just call me... Jacqueline."

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Dwight Barron, son of Mr. Barron from MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

Otrera Beldam, daughter of the Other Mother from CORALINE

Jacqueline Spicer, daughter of Jack Spicer from XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN

* Next Episode: Stranger Magic in the Fae Realm Treasury


	8. Stranger Magic In The Fae Realm Treasury

Villains High: Stranger Magic In The Fae Realm Treasury

A purplish vortex opened up and a golden carriage pulled by a large green hummingbird emerged into a large land. The trees were titanic, making their green foliage look like green leaf clouds in the sky.

"Home, sweet home," Marius sniffed the air from the carriage window. "Pines, oak, cypress, redwood... The Fae Realm."

"It's great that your parents let you come home on such short notice," Ruby said as she peaked at the window.

"I still don't get why I had to come," Safír Dragon said as he slouched on the seat next to Kit Bogan. "I mean, I understand Chelsey Young's possible return, but I am the child of the most dangerous Shen Gong Wu. I could spit my fire on her and make her my personal sapphire zombie!"

"Yeah, but your Shen Gong Wu heritage _and_ dragon heritage could help you track the Reversing Mirror in my family's big treasury." Marius leaned forward and held hands with Penna, who sat on the seat in front of him. "Besides, it's a double-date and Penna doesn't get uncomfortable while Ruby looks like the fifth-wheel friend."

"Gee, thanks." Ruby said grimly.

"My gratitude as well," Penna smiled weakly. "I'm still terrified. You guys have to deal with saving the world while I have to deal with the worst nightmare ever."  
"Penna, I know your... lack of parental support left you with no dating experience, but my parents aren't the kind to misjudge upon first sight. They'll love you!" Marius gave his girlfriend a smile.

"Hopefully not too much that they set up a marriage in the Primrose Chapel," Kit said.

"Wow! Will you look at those giant flowers?" Ruby exclaimed.

They flew into the Fae Realm city. As Ruby noted, the fields were filled with all kinds of flowers one could list from A to Z but were (in a normal human perspective) the height of a college desk. With the sunrays glowing through the colorful petals, the forest of green grass and brown soiled earth got dark rainbow shadows. Many houses made of solid white stones and wooden bark tiled roofs formed the commoners section of the city, with bridges connected to certain areas to make civilians walk a bit above ground, merchants were selling their natural products under the sunlight, and children were playing on the stone sidewalks near fountains bearing statues of the monarchs. All the civilians were mixed species of fairies, goblins, elves, hybrid species, and imps scurrying around while most of the animals were squirrels, lizards, and hummingbirds used for transportation, regular insects as domesticated pets, and wild butterflies flying in flocks.

Some civilians below noticed the carriage flying in and cheered as they recognized it as the prince returning to the kingdom.

The hummingbirds made the carriage land before the Bogfae Palace, a building made of two massive boulder towers, vine shaped passages, golden windows, statues, a large flower garden, and an arena in the background. A group of people waited before them at the front steps of the castle: an old man in green leaf metal armor, a dwarf toad-faced hag, an elegant blonde fairy in a blue dress, an elf with a ladybug headband, a blonde black-streaked fairy in warrior clothing, a brunette fairy with strong purple mascara and a purple petal gown, and a goblin with dragonfly wings and massive exoskeleton. Judging by how the latters wore a golden crown and held a scepter respectively, one could tell that they were the Fairy Queen Marianne and the Bog King Lysander, Marius' parents.

"Mother! Father!" Marius was the first to fly out of the carriage and hug his parents with much love.

"Son," the Bog King said warmly.

"It's so good to have you back home," the Fairy Queen said.

"Junk didn't come back?" the fairy girl in armor asked Kit once they all got out of the carriage.

"He got multiple hours of detention for a misunderstanding with the janitor," Kit shrugged. "Many stained glass windows suffered."

"Ouch."

"C'mon, Marius! Don't leave your Grannyselda hanging!" The short hag pushed her way through and hugged Marius tightly. His friends chuckled at the sight of the prince getting hugged to death by the woman who turned out to be his grandmother.

"Yeah, some things from home never get old," he sighed. After making sure no area in his exoskeleton armor was injured, we went on to take Penna by the hand. "Mother, Father, this is Penna De Mort. My girlfriend."

Penna gave a silent curtsy. The Fairy Queen and the Bog King said nothing, but kept on a smile and bowed their heads. This made her gulp uneasily.

 _Later_

The royal family led the visitors through the stone and gold corridors with hanging tapestries that made the palace seem like a labyrinth.

"Your story about Chelsey Young seems very ominous," the Bog King said. "We could use for a security check in the treasure room if the Reversing Mirror she seeks is still buried in there."

"It's already bad enough that someone tried to break into the Potions Archives just last night," the ladybug headband elf, Marius' Uncle Sunny, added.

"Wait, the Potions Archives was attacked?" Marius looked at his parents.

"What's a Potions Archives?" Ruby politely asked.

"It's like a library holding all potions known to species, but for some, it's also a place to keep under lock and key any potion that is deemed too powerful or dangerous for the specific species guarding the Potions Archives," Penna explained.

"You seem to know quite a bit about the Potions Archives," the Bog King remarked.

"Every species has one. In the wizarding world however, they evenly split the Potions Archives so that no country has an advantage of knowledge over the others. I saw the fraction that the Ministry of Magic held in the Department of Mysteries. Hated it on the spot."

"But I thought you liked making potions," Kit said in confusion.

"I do. But for some reason, the Ministry of Magic's fraction of the Potions Records had nothing but potions with main ingredients being mandrake roots." Penna wrinkled her nose. "I have a nasty allergy to them."

"You're allergic to mandrake roots?" Ruby grimaced. "That's nasty."

"I don't think we have mandrake root based potions in the archives, but how do your allergies react?" The Fairy Queen asked in concern.

"Yeah, aren't mandrake root supposed to be useful for causing hallucinations and unconsciousness?" Ruby asked Penna.

"I get a dose of both. Instant fainting and massive hallucinations depending on how close I get to a mandrake root, if I touch one, or if I smell its repulsive odor."

"Maybe this will help." Marius' cousin pulled out what appeared to be a scarf made of woven seaweed. She flew over and wrapped it over Penna's mouth as if it were a medical mask. "Colchis kelp. It's supposed to stir off bad odors."

"Thanks," Penna said gratefully.

They reached the end of the corridor, where a massive wooden door with strange twisted blue patterns awaited them. The monarch couple spread their wings and aligned them in perfect symmetry. The door let out a strange humming sound and slid open. They all stepped inside a large cylindrical room made of solid oak. All the walls were covered in shelves that went all the way up to the ceiling, each filled with glass cases that concealed diverse ingredients.

"Wicked," Ruby said.

"It's even bigger than Professor Yzma's lab!" Safír was impressed.

"This is the Fae Realm Potions Archives," the Fairy Queen explained. "From bottom to top, each shelf holds the ingredients to potions that are ranged from harmless to dangerous for fairies, goblins, elves, and all the kingdom's civilians."

"You mean each glass case holds the ingredients to a specific potion?" Ruby bent down to look at a case holding a frog, daisy petals, and a rock.

"Of course not. It's too risky to keep the actual potions in vials. What if somebody managed to sneak in and take the vial?"

"Which is concerning since the Archives got broken in last night," the Bog King said sternly. "Aside from the guardian, only the sovereign monarchs of the Fae Realm can open the door. Only my wife and I can open it by using our wings as the key."

"Even I can't open it until I become king and get a consort," Marius said. Kit gave a smirking elbow bump to Penna, who glared at her.

A blue glow came from the ceiling and landed onto the ground, forming into a teenage girl in a gossamer blue dress, blue sandals, and her black hair with teal and purple streaks tied up in a messy bun. Her skin was as white as chalk. "Your Highnesses," she greeted. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Great, _another_ love potion maker," Penna said sourly. The others looked at her in bewilderment.

"Penna!" Ruby said in shock.

"Oh, wait, is this because your grandmother used a love potion to drug your grandfather and the result of that union was your dad, who was incapable of love because he was born from a love potioned union, and that's why he's the worst dad of the year?" Safír realized.

"Try the worst dad of the lifetime!" Penna glared at the guardian in disdain. "My grandmother used _your_ mother's blasted potion. So yeah, it's _really_ not nice to meet the child of the Sugarplum Fairy."

"And you told me to not worry," the Bog King grinned at his wife.

"We can discuss racism later," Marius said. "Dragée, what do you know about the thief?"

"Hard to say," she said. "I'm the only light source in the Archives, but even my light wasn't able to reveal the mysterious penetrator. All I heard was a strange cackling that sounded oddly Southern and it only lasted like ten minutes. By the time dawn came, I saw that the Potions Archives was still in shape."

"Nothing was stolen?" Marius' grandmother said sourly. "You must be kidding me! You sent a false alarm?"

"I swear on the River Styx that someone _did_ break into the Potions Archives, but none of the potions went missing!" She raised her hand to indicate the top shelves. "I even checked the top shelves and none of the most dangerous potion ingredients went missing! Not even my mother's love potion formula!"

"OK, but who could have possibly broken in?" The Fairy Queen began to fly around the Archives and inspect with the rest of her family.

Ruby leaned on the wall and knocked on it. "The wood's rather bulked in the interior. Must be harder than rock, nobody could have broken through it." She then knelt on the ground and scratched it with her nails, creating a piercing sound. "Even the floor's more solid than my adamantium nails, I couldn't dig a tunnel even if I had a bulldozer."

"I forgot your mom's Catwoman," Marius said. "Ruby, as a thieving expert, how would _you_ have broken in?"

"I'm not sure the Potions Archives is similar to an ordinary bank. I'm mostly familiar with going through windows, ditching infrared lasers, sneaking through ventilation shafts, or cracking security codes," Ruby got up and pondered. "The Potions Archives has no windows, I don't know if they have booby traps, and I don't see why fairies would need ventilation. As for security codes, we only know that Marius' parents and Dragée are the only ones who can open the door... Although now that I think about it, can the door let the couple in as long as they _appear_ to be the royal couple or can the door recognize the royals aside from physically?"

"It's not a dumb theory," Penna said. "Perhaps somebody posed as the couple and the door mistook them for the real ones."

"But the door didn't open at all last night, by Styx!" Dragée said.

"I guess we'll have to take your world for it since you weren't struck by lightning." Ruby went to the door and bent down for a better look. "The open space between the door and the ground is big enough to place a bean. Perhaps the intruder shrunk sizes to go under the door and grow back when he got it."

"And leave with nothing? I hardly used my spells to defend myself," Dragée added.

Meanwhile, while they were discussing, Penna's nose began to sniff something out. She raised her head and caught the scent going up to the top shelf. She walked over and tapped on Daylight's shoulder. Marius' cousin turned and saw Penna pointing to the top shelf, silently asking her for a lift. Daylight nodded and grabbed Penna by the waist and lifted her up to the top shelf. Penna kept sniffing until she spotted a glass case that stood out from the others. As it was all the way at the top, no one from the bottom could notice its peculiarity, but from where she now was, she noticed that the glass case was _reflecting_ the other top shelf cases instead of letting the light go _through_ the glass and bring some value into the compartment.

Penna used her nails to drag through the borders of the glass and successfully pull off the glass from the compartment. "Well hello," she said out loud.

This caught the others attention. "Hey love potion geek," Penna said drily, "do tell me why out of all the glass cases you have in your Archives, one of them was just a reflective mirror hiding a compartment?"

"A particularly dusty compartment," Daylight took a peak herself. "There's an area that looks brushed off. Not in a cleaning way, but as if a big object was dragged out."

"Dragée," the Bog King frowned at the guardian.

"I was only doing my job!" Dragée protested. "When I first started as guardian of the Potions Archives, the dying predecessor warned me of a 'phony case'. He told me 'Never let anyone, not even the monarchs, know that we have this potion. The traveler who gave it to me that it brought only corruption to humans and begged me to hide it away.' He didn't tell me which case it was, so I just assumed that nobody would take it since only I or the monarchs could open the door." Dragée looked at Penna. "How did you even figure out where the phony case was?"

"It smelled evil," Penna said.

"It _smelled_ evil?" Marius arched an eyebrow.

"Live one hundred and sixteen years of my life in my house with my dad, his Death Eaters, and his monsters and you will understand," Penna said. It was now Safír's turn to make on large jump off the ground and use his claws to cling onto the top shelf while he sniffed the compartment.

"Wheatgrass... Salt... Dry frog..." He then gasped in horror. "Dead dragon!" He growled and jumped back on the ground. "You idiot!" He told Dragée. "How could let somebody steal the Lao Mang Lone Soup?"

"Lao Ma what?" Kit was confused.

"Lao Mang Lone Soup," Ruby articulated for her. "It's an ancient potion that can provide eternal youth and immortality to the drinker but with a cost."

"Yeah, it corrupts the soul and turns the drinker into an evil monster," Penna said. "How did you know that? You don't even take Dark History of Evil Deities."

"I spent too much time with Martin's mother," Ruby shook her head in exasperation.

"A potion that turns people evil?" the Bog King grew concerned. "Who would be crazy enough to drink that?"

"Chase Young," Penna said. "He was tricked into drinking the potion willingly. Once he drank it, he lost his good side and became evil forever. I wouldn't be surprised if his child, Chelsey, who pursue the soup as well. Despite being his child, she still drank the potion to keep her eternal youth."

"To think their diets... include dead dragons." Safír hugged Kit for protection.

"Great! Along with finding the Reversing Mirror in the treasury, now we have to worry about the burglar who stole an evil soup!" Marius said in frustration.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Bug Fly," Penna said, calling Marius by the pet name she gave him ever since they dated. She raised the glass in the air and brought it down onto her knee, shattering it in the process. Everyone almost screamed if she was desperate for seven years of bad luck, she lifted the remains of the glass, revealing that underneath its reflective surface, it hid another mirror.

"The Reversing Mirror!" Safír exclaimed. "Wait, what if it's a fake?"

"Care to experiment? You are a Shen Gong Wu after all."

Safír then changed his head into the one of a sapphire dragon and spit blue fire right at Penna, who held up the mirror and shouted its name. The Reversing Mirror glowed and reflected the fire blasts right back at Safír. He narrowly dodged it and Dragée extinguished the fire before it could burn the Potions Archives.

"It _is_ the Reversing Mirror!" Safír exclaimed.

"But I thought you said it was in our treasury!" Marius' grandfather, Dagda, said in confusion.

"That's what we thought when Otrera showed us the Reflective Mirror in the treasury!" Ruby said. "But if this is the real mirror, then the one in the treasury is a fake! But why this switcheroo?"

"If it turns out, the traveler who gave the previous guardian the soup also gave the Reversing Mirror as a gift to the monarchs," Penna said. "The traveler must have warned the guardian of the potential danger the mirror would cause, so instead of leaving it in the treasury with the other gifts, he put a fake one in the treasury and brought the real one to the Archives, where he covered it with an _actual_ reflective mirror and used it as a cover for the Lao Mang Lone Soup. I wouldn't be surprised if the thief in question was interested in both the soup _and_ the mirror."

 _Later_

The golden doors of the treasury were pushed open and anyone who never came to the Fae Realm before lost their jaws at the sight of the palace treasure room. The place was higher than the cathedral of Notre Dame and golden statues of fairies held up a dome ceiling made of stain glasses. Such a ceiling let in a rainbow of sunlight gleam upon the piles of coins, the collection of wrapped up carpets and tapestries, jeweled flowers, table statues, rings and necklaces concealed in glass cases, crystal balls, mirrors, and other marvels that made this place a hybrid of the Cavern of Wonders and Rumplestiltskin's antique pawnshop.

"Can I please have your attention?" The Bog King called out to everyone. "We trust you to not steal, but the treasure room itself is enchanted. The very walls are enchanted and can make the artifacts attack you if it senses ill-meaning on you."

"Some security," Penna commented as they went through the treasury.

Safír pulled out some earplugs and a scaled scarf to block his ears, nostrils, and mouth. "OK, now I won't go nuts with all this gold around me."

Just then, the room began to shake. The gold rattled before all the metal-based artifacts began to float in the air and create a tornado of metal within the treasury. Soon, all the artifacts were dragged into the tornado, and Penna spotted one of them in particular.

"The Reversing Mirror!" She used her magic to petrify some objects into a staircase for her to climb and reach the fake mirror. Just then, something appeared on her and trapped her head in a gray metal cage box. The tornado stopped, only for the metal objects to hang out and turn towards Penna. It was like waiting for an order to kill her. Penna looked like she was suffocating in the box.

"PENNA!" Marius exclaimed.

The metal objects moved to form a speaking mouth. " _Hand the Reversing Mirror over! Or De Mort suffers from mandrake gassing!_ " It spoke.

"Margo?" Ruby clutched on the Reversing Mirror.

"Who?" the Bog King asked.

"Someone from Villains High." Ruby called out to the metal mouth. "Margo, let Penna go and let's discuss things out!"

" _Kitty wants the mutant to lay down? I don't think so!_ " Some scepters in the mouth aimed at Ruby. Marius pulled her out of the way. " _The mirror, now!"_ The case on Penna's head tightened. Out of horror at the idea of his girlfriend dying from her allergies, Marius snatched the Reversing Mirror from Ruby and threw it at the big mouth of metal. The mouth turned into a giant chest that swallowed the mirror and flew out through the open doors. The case on Penna's head let go of its victim and flew after the others. Marius flew to catch Penna in his arms. Her eyes' blood veins were turning yellow and her body trembled as she whimpered.

"Penna..." He choked. His father snapped his fingers and two fairy guards appeared.

"Take my son's lover to the infirmary and make sure the healers get her out of her mandrake exposure!" He ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Marius handed Penna to one of the guards and the latters flew of with the patient.

Marius clutched his teeth. "Ruby. Who's this Margo and where do I find her?"

 _Back in Villainapolis_

Margo put the Reversing Mirror next to the bowl of Lao Mang Lone Soup on her desk. The Southern Belle with the veiled cowboy hat clapped her hands.

"Ya done a great job, partner," she said. She picked up the Reversing Mirror and admired her reflection. "I done knew I could count on people like ya kind."

"My pleasure." Margo twirled her finger and the neck of her desk lamp twisted like a noodle. "Oh, and cool how you managed to sneak into the Potions Archives. They never suspected that you shrunk yourself to bean-size to sneak under the doors and steal from them."

"Chelsey Young will soon bow ta me," her partner chuckled. "But one needs knees ta bow, and she needs her body. Pack ya suitcases. We are going to Perish."

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Dragée Loveplum, daughter of the Sugar Plum Fairy from STRANGE MAGIC

Margo Lehnsherr, daughter of Magneto from X-MEN

*Next Episode: Perish, city of Vices


	9. Perish, City of Vices

Villains High: Perish, City of Vices

The plane from Villainapolis landed in the Curse De Gaulle airport. Martin, Thyella, Grinchelda, Charles Frollo, and Nora Belartiste got out of the plane.

"It's a good thing my dad's out of town," Charles said as they waited for a cab to pick them up. "We can stay in the Palace of Justice until you guys can hide the Cypress Shaft in the catacombs."

A black cab pulled in and they jumped right in.

"I'm sorry I couldn't invite you in my comfier home, but with all my foster siblings, Hawk Moth's house is a mess," Nora apologized.

"Caron, Leidi, Aspra, Marie Honette, Antoine, Corentine, Alex, and Incanto..." Martin listed. "Wow. Eight foster siblings."

"And there's always new ones coming."

"Your house is like a zoo of akumatized offspring."

"Guys, let's focus!" Thyella snapped her fingers. "We need to hide the Cypress Shaft in the catacombs. The sooner we hide it, the sooner we can hit another country to hide the other relic!"

"Luckily, the catacombs are a few streets away from the Riffle Tower. Chauffeur, _allez-y!_ " Nora ordered the driver.

 _Minutes later_

They all awed when they stood at the feet of the Riffle Tower, the most famous monument in all of Perish. Made out of four metal riffles the sizes of Monstro the Whale leaning against each other, it was quite a sight for sore eyes. That is, to anyone who wasn't from Perish like Nora and Charles who had already been in Perish like Grinchelda.

"I love the Riffle Tower," she said. "Did you know that they specifically chose riffles to represent the numerous bloodsheds that occurred in the City of Vices?"

"Yeah. They started building the tower shortly after the revolution," Charles said.

"Holy Yono!" Martin pointed his finger at the Riffle Tower. Someone was bungee jumping from the fourth floor of the tower and decided to unclasp her belt and twirl while taking photos. Nora freaked out and pulled out her pen and tablet to illustrate to life a giant purple mattress for the girl to land on. As soon as the girl landed with her feet on the ground, the crowd sighed in relief and Nora made the mattress disappear.

"Thank you, mate." The girl stretched her _four_ arms in the air. Each pair of hands held cameras: a digital camera, a cellphone camera, a professional camera, and an old fashion studio camera.

"You took shots from four different cameras _while_ jumping from the Riffle Tower?" Grinchelda exclaimed right when some of the cameras managed to print out the results.

"And they worked out perfectly!" The girl pulled a portfolio out of her backpack and placed the printed photos in it. She then showed them the pictures and they had to admit that for a crazy four-armed daredevil, she made took awesome areal shots of Perish and the river La Sin with the Riffle Tower on the sides of the pictures. Some of them were colored, others were in black-and-white.

"These are cool," Charles said. "Are you a journalism photographer?"

"Sorry, mate. Too young for that." She closed the portfolio and curtsied. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pieuvrella Della Octoposia."

"Your accent, is it from Malstralia?" Martin asked.

"Aye. I live with my mum near the Sindey Headlands, but my old man is the Neverland Octopus," Pieuvrella put her portfolio and cameras back in her backpack. "My dream is to become a cultural photographer and I'm currently going on a global tour to take great shots that will guarantee me an internship at EGOGRAPHICS!" She quickly took a selfie of herself on her phone with the Riffle Tower behind her. "And what about you? What brings you to Perish?"

"Let's just say that we're hiding something in the catacombs," Thyella said flatly.

"Cool. Which layer?"

"Which layer?" Thyella looked at Nora and Charles.

"Uh, yeah, about that." Charles scratched the back of his neck. "The catacombs of Perish have existed for thirteen hundred years, there are thirteen layers for each century."

"They say that a new layer is created at every end of the century as a collection of all the corpses of whatever bloodshed occurred." Pieuvrella added. "I visited them a few days ago and I learned that the last six floors are sealed off from the public because that's where victims of the plagues are buried. Some local legends claim that the deeper you go into the catacombs, the closer you get to the Earth's core and a locked up monster remains there."

"Jolly," Martin said.

"It shouldn't be too hard," Charles said. "I mean, what if either Nora or Thyella use their magic to teleport us right into the last level, we dig a hole, we bury the White Emerald, and we quickly make a run for it before the monster catches us?"

"May I come, mates?" Pieuvrella kneeled on her knees and begged. "Nobody has ever seen the bottom of the catacombs _ever_. I would love to take photos of it and be the first to document it."

"I don't see why not," Thyella shrugged.

 _Later_

They all went to the coed bathrooms of the nearest Metropolitian station in the neighborhood of the Riffle Tower. Nora used her pen to draw a tunnel on the tiled floor leading them right down to the bottom of the catacombs. Since they weren't sure of what to expect down there, Nora fashioned the tunnel to hold an elevator big enough to carry them all down. They landed and made an odd, squishy sound. As if they stepped on a very soaked sponge.

Grinchelda pulled out her phone and put it on the flashlight app. She held it above the ground. It looked suspiciously light brown and... liquid-like. She took off her glove, tipped a finger in the ground, and licked it.

"Guys, the ground tastes like melted caramel," she said. Out of nowhere, their elevator flipped and threw them into the 'caramel floor'.

"Gross!" Charles tried kicking himself out. Thyella used his magic to lift him off his sticky situation. "Thanks."

Nora and Grinchelda helped each other get up. "You guys seem to have no problem with the caramel floor," Nora remarked to Martin and Pieuvrella, the only ones who had less difficulty walking in the caramel.

"Monkey feet." Martin wiggled his toes. "They can easily pull themselves away from any sticky substance."

"I'm used to sticky substances." Pieuvrella took pictures of the caramel floor. "This one time, I managed to get pictures while struggling out of quick sand." They all stared at Pieuvrella, thinking that she brought a whole new level of weird in photography.

Meanwhile, Thyella inspected the walls. None of them had the expected fossilized skulls and femurs that tourists usually see in the upper levels of the Perish catacombs. Instead, they met very well carved marble walls with vicious claw marks. It was as if an animal had tried digging its way out of the walls using only one paw. "Pieuvrella wasn't kidding. Judging by these claw marks, I'm going to guess that some kind of eagle beast lurks in this area of the catacombs."

"You might want to reconsider the eagle part." Grinchelda held up her flashlight at a right turn. They went to her direction and saw that when they looked at the right, the floor had turned into solid caramel dry enough to match the roughness of volcanic rocks. Grinchelda held up her flashlight at a particular area of the dried caramel. Footprints were fossilized into the ground. It looked like it belonged to a biped creature... that had the left leg of a horse and the right foot of a dragon.

"O...K" Nora drew on her ordinary paper pad and controlled her powers so that her pen didn't bring to life what she just drew. "So we are looking at a monster that scratches the walls like an eagle yet has the feet of a dragon and a horse."

"Maybe it's a Chimera?" Charles suggested. Pieuvrella took pictures of the footprints.

"Impossible. Chimeras prefer to live in hazardous mountains," Pieuvrella said. "I went to Liedia once."

"Let me guess. You climbed up a chimera's nest to take some shots?" Martin guessed drily.

"No, I took photos from the tourist platform. It's insanely unsafe for anyone to walk on Chimera territory." Pieuvrella froze and rubbed the ground. "Wait a minute. This isn't right."

"What is it?" Grinchelda brought her flashlight.

"The further the trail goes, the more the footprints change. Look, we first see them as a dragon's paw and a horse's hoof, but when they go further, they retain they start to enlarge and shape into _human_ shoes. Ladies and gentlemen, I think that the monster of the Perish catacombs might be a shapeshifter."

An ominous growl came from the end of the corner. Yellow eyes with bloody red pupils glowed in the dark and seemed to enlarge as they got closer to the teens, who got closer to each other for protection.

"Wait a minute..." Thyella blinked. "Havoc Discord?"

"The one and only." The catacombs suddenly illuminated, the walls turned into a tacky cream yellow paint, and for some reason, headless skeletons were dancing on top of their skulls as if the latters were circus balls. Havoc Discord revealed himself in the light. "Well, this must be my lucky day! Among my visitors, I see the children of Monkey Fist and the Simian Witch, the Grinch and Martha May Whovier, Tempest Shadow, Judge Frollo, the Evillustrator, and the Neverland Octopus." He literally pulled off all his hair and curtsied before putting it back in place on his head. "My name is Havoc Discord. I am the son of Discord, master spirit of chaos in the world of Equestria!"

"I heard the legends about you," Thyella said. "But why are you locked up in the bottom of the Perish Catacombs?"

"Two words. Chelsey Young." The caramel on the floor moved up to shape into a poof chair for Havoc to slouch on. "I fled Equestria while my father was being petrified and I came to Earth at a rotten time. The Young Clan was in power back then and even my chaotic powers were nothing against them. Chase and Chelsey Young sealed me into these catacombs, I've been trying to get the attention of tourists visiting the upper layers to free me!" He grumbled. "And I'm bound to be the first one to confirm if the Earth explodes since this layer is the closest to the core!"

"What's with the caramel?" Nora pointed at the floor.

"Eh. I amused myself by turning the floor into caramel." Havoc snapped his fingers and the caramel floors turned into regular stone floors.

"Here's an idea," Grinchelda walked up to Havoc. "Chelsey Young has been turned into a shadow and we are trying to hide the relics she needs to get her full powers back. Help us hide the Cypress Shaft anywhere in these catacombs where nobody would find them and we can take you back up to the surface with us."

"Uh, take a spirit of chaos back to civilization? Grinch, are you sure?" Charles asked.

"I don't see why he can't. I mean, stuck here for centuries? He could help us by getting back at Chelsey Young and we could take him to Villains High with us." Grinchelda looked back at Havoc. "Wouldn't you like that?"

"Hum." He pondered. "Very tempting. I suppose I can help you, but I have a condition along with my freedom. Allow me to reveal a secret of all of you. Any secret I want."

"You mean, like an embarrassing secret?"

"More like... how you're a lesbian." He pointed at Grinchelda.

The others gasped.

"You got expelled from middle school after publishing dozens of pornography magazines." Havoc gestured at Pieuvrella.

The others gasped louder.

"You never used a cooking utensil in your life and always use your powers of illustration to do your Wicked Bakery assignments." Havoc told Nora.

The others exclaimed.

"You're secretly dating a gypsy." Havoc let the cat out of the bag for Charles.

Louder exclaiming.

"You never had any friends until you left the Hungolian compound!" Havoc exposed Thyella.

Even louder exclaiming.

"And you used to be in a boy band!" Havoc grinned at Martin.

Martin paled up. As for the others, they didn't gasp or exclaim in horror. Rather, they exploded in laughter.

" _You_? In a _boy band_?" Charles dropped on the floor and laughed harder.

"I did no such thing," Martin said flatly.

"Sure, you did!" Havoc nodded. "You started this boy band with the sons of Ursula, Seth, Adagio Dazzle, and Aria Blaze. Your band broke up an hour after the first single came out and that was before Xaos became famous through the Dark Rulers."

"What was the name of the boy band?" Grinchelda snickered. Martin crossed his arms and scowled in bitter humiliation as they kept covering his old wounds with salt.

"They were called the Salemnity Boys and I have that sound stuck in my radio! Here, listen!" Havoc snapped his fingers and a rainbow-colored radio landed in his hand. He pushed the button and the speakers played the recorded pop song.

Salemnity Boys: _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

 _I make my heart black gold hard that only you can steal!_

 _With you, the world is just a big third wheel!_

 _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

Everyone blinked in awe, except for Martin and Havoc. Martin was too busy covering his eyes in shame while Havoc was snapping the radio away to oblivion.

"Wow... You actually sound good enough to be in a music career, Martin," Charles genuinely told Martin.

The latter held up five bills of 50 bights. "Take these and we pretend this never happened."

"Keep the cash. Now let's see about that Shaft." Havoc said. Thyella handed him the Cypress Shaft and Havoc stretched it until it squeezed into a pebble. He dug a hole in the melted caramel, buried the pebble in it, and struck the caramel with his hands to render it to stone. "That will work."

"Funny. For some reason, I thought you were going to toss it into Tartarus," Nora commented.

"I'd rather not. After you."

Havoc followed them up the tunnel towards freedom. Little did they know, as soon as Nora erased the tunnel out of existence, a portal slashed open and Jacqueline Spicer stepped on the floor with Chelsey Young.

"Real Reverso!" Jacqueline shouted and her Shen Gong Wu aimed at the floor, returning it to its original melted caramel state along with the other garbage trinkets Havoc had hidden. Among them was the Cypress Shaft.

 _I'm impressed_ , Chelsey admitted.

"Naturally." Jacqueline snickered. "It's a good plan that we came up with. Using the Golden Tiger Claws to wherever the relics have been hidden by those idiots and use the Real Reverso to get them back in shape." Her phone rang and she answered it. "Jacqueline Spicer speaking."

" _Hi, Jacqueline, this is Margo. I heard you were_ searching for this." Margo sent her a text, making Jacqueline and Chelsey smirk when they saw a picture of the Reversing Mirror. " _I confirm it's the mirror. Had to give De Mort a dose of her mandrake allergy to convince the others to give me the mirror._ "

 _Threatening to poison the daughter of Voldemort? I'm impressed_ , Chelsey admitted.

"How much would you like for it?" Jacqueline asked.

" _Oh, but I want to give this to you for free! From metal mutant to metal practitioner, we can agree_ ," Margo said.

"Certainly. Just drop it off at my house. I'll have one of my drones deliver it for me." Jacqueline hung up her phone and pulled out a laptop. She began tapping on the keyboard until she found the frequency signals of the idiots' cellphones. Jacqueline turned on the volume.

" _I think I have an excellent idea of where to go next,"_ Pieuvrella's voice spoke up. " _Why not hide the White Emerald in the Grimm Castle?_ "

" _Are you mad?_ " Martin exclaimed. " _You want us to hide the White Emerald in Transylvania when it's Fangs-Giving season and the whole region is crawling with bloodthirsty..."_

" _You'll live_ ," Havoc said.

" _Pieuvrella might be right. Plus, I heard they are hosting an open Fangs-Giving ball at the castle," Thyella said. "The perfect opportunity to sneak around and hide the jewel."_

" _Nora can purchase your tickets and I can provide you with crucifixes. Just in case,"_ Charles said. That was the last thing the duo heard before Jacqueline shut her laptop.

"It looks like we're going to Transylvania."

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Charles Frollo, son of Frollo from THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

Pieuvrella Della Octoposia, daughter of the Neverland Octopus

Havoc Discord, son of Discord from MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

*Next Episode: Fangs-Giving Vampire Pageant


	10. Fangs-Giving Vampire Pageant

Villains High: Fangs-Giving Vampire Pageant

They woke up still exhausted once the plane landed at the airport in Transylvania.

"This is so exciting!" Pieuvrella said as she gathered her bags. She tapped Havoc on the shoulders, urging him to stop watching his movie and get ready to leave.

" _Attention please_ ," the captain spoke through the speakers, " _prepare to get vaccinated once you arrive inside the airport._ "

"Vaccinated? Is the region going through the plague?" Grinchelda frowned. As she said that, Havoc looked through the window at the sunlit afternoon.

"Great chaos, is it really that time? I must get that vaccine," he said.

"Why, what time is it?" Thyella asked.

"A rare astral event known as the Fangs-Giving Red Moon. You see, Fangs-Giving occurs only once a year, on the week of Friday the 13th, but there's this thing when a lunar eclipse occurs every five years. It's called the Fangs-Giving Red Moon and it only shows up on Friday the 13th. Once the sun sets, the eclipse rises into the sky and stays there for thirteen hours until the sun rises."

"That's a long period of darkness for one day," Martin said. They got inside the airport and waited in line with other passengers as airport doctors inserted some kind of red liquid through syringes on the passengers' neck.

"The problem is that the Red Moon brings enhanced paranormal mishaps on Fangs-Giving in Transylvania," Havoc continued. "Humans might turn into supernatural beings, supernatural beings can get certain abilities enhanced, and the non-physical can get physical. Naturally, these only last for thirteen hours."

"So, it's nothing permanent?" Martin asked. Pieuvrella and Thyella, who were ahead of them, yelped as the doctors gave them shots.

"It doesn't have to depending on the victim's contribution. For example, I went to one of the first Fangs-Giving festivals eons ago and some humans got affected by the Red Moon, they turned into vampires and ended up becoming them permanently when they drank blood."

"Luckily for today's modern medicine, the numbers are decreasing," one of the doctors said when it was Havoc and Martin's turn to get shots.

"Would it be possible to get a double dose?" Havoc asked when he had to lower his collar. "Normally, I would love causing chaos, but at this time of year and type of place, I'd rather not."

"Sorry, we only apply double doses for those who've been affected by the moon." The doctor gave a dose to Havoc. One of his associates tensed a bit and quickly gave a shot at Martin before urging them to leave.

"What was up with that guy?" Martin frowned as they all went for the escalator. At the end of it, they found an unexpected surprise: Safír Dragon and Napoleon Moriarty, another one of their VH classmates, waving at them.

"Safír? I thought you went with Marius and Ruby to find the mirror in Marius' castle?" Martin said.

"Uh, yeah. About that."

 _Minutes later_

Napoleon had invited them inside his family's hearse carriage and were on their way to the Grimm Castle, which happened to be the domain of Napoleon's maternal and vampire family. During the ride, Safír told them about what happened in the Fae Realm treasury.

"So Margo left with the Reversing Mirror and the Lao Mang Lone Soup. Marius and Kit stayed back in the Fae Realm because Marius wanted to stay with Penna while she was at the hospital and Kit stayed to help double check security. Ruby and I came back to Villainapolis and Charles emailed me to let me know that you were going to Transylvania. Since I had to go to Transylvania anyway for Fangs-Giving..."

"I thought Fangs-Giving was for vampires," Grinchelda was confused.

"It's open to any fang supporter," Napoleon cut in. "Vampires, Batrishans, werewolves, and even fang-loving humans who only read TWILIGHT and watch HOW I MET YOUR DEVIL."

"It was best that I didn't bring Ruby," Safír told Martin. "Whenever the Red Moon comes, anyone can be affected, even the vaccinated ones. I didn't want to risk your human girlfriend getting turned into some kind of bloodthirsty monster that could make a deadlier weapon out of her nails."

"Thank you," Martin nodded. He did feel unpleasant, however, when he heard the way Safír called Ruby Martin's 'human girlfriend.' It was like suggesting that Martin wasn't even a half-human mutant. Then again, he was half-sorcerer on his mother's side.

"My mother said that you could stay as long as you need to. It would be nice to have some additional friends from Villains High coming to our open Fangs-Giving ball," Napoleon said as the hearse crossed a stone bridge leading to a steep hill where the Grimm Castle stood.

"Do many VH students come here?" Pieuvrella asked. She tried taking some pictures of the window view they had.

"Some. Many avoided coming this year due to the Red Moon, but some came anyway out of tradition."

"Tradition."

"For some families, it is tradition that the children leave school and come to Transylvania to celebrate Fangs-Giving. It's like Easter for mortals. I return to my maternal home, Safír came because many dragons celebrate the holiday, and some Batrishans purposely return for Fangs-Giving."

"What are Batrishans?" Thyella asked.

"A species that act as far distant relatives to vampires," Martin explained. "They're practically humanoid bats. They can easily pass off as humans if not for their bat ears, wings, and complex colors. The only things separating Batrishans from vampires is that Batrishans can survive the sun, are not bound to the weaknesses of vampires, and drinking blood is only a suggestion to them."

"You'll get to meet Batrishans at the ball. In the meantime, welcome to my home." Napoleon opened the door and they stepped out of the hearse. The giant black mahogany doors of the Grim Castle, which itself was a straight gray stone building with red tiled roofs and golden window sills, towered before them. A blonde woman in elegant clothing waited for them before the doors while holding a giant black umbrella to shield her from the son.

"Mother, these are the folks from Villains High," Napoleon made the introductions. The others curtsied before Napoleon's mother, the Bloody Countess.

"Greetings to all of you," she said firmly. Her tone got lighter, however, when she walked over and patted Martin on the head. "How wonderful to see you again in Transylvania, Martin Montgomery."

"Martin's just fine, Countess," Martin said awkwardly.

"Wait." Thyella stared at Martin. "You've been to Transylvania before?"

"Naturally he has," the Bloody Countess said as she led them inside the castle. "Martin and Napoleon never told you that they're childhood friends?"

"I thought you're only friend was Gilliard," Safír joked at Martin. The latter grumbled in exasperation. Luckily, Napoleon covered for him.

"Our fathers Monkey Fist and Professor Moriarty were good friends as London criminals, and coincidentally enough, Martin's mother was one of the few nouveau riche mine befriended. So yes, it was pretty predictable when they ended up sending us to the same boys' academy in Slitherpool and we became friends."

"And fateful how we ended up transferring to Villains High and our quality time slowed down as we got more... Napoleon, what would be the right word?" Martin said.

"Distracted by our love lives?" Napoleon suggested.

"Yeah, that."

After crossing the hallway full of family portraits and golden statues of important supernatural leaders, the Bloody Countess led them inside a magnificent ballroom where servants were currently cleaning and preparing for the ball. The stone walls were being rubbed and scrubbed to make them perfectly reflective, a massive red curtain covered what probably was a massive window, the chandeliers were getting their crystals placed with rubies, a large arc shaped table was being covered by a tablecloth with fancy white spider web patterns, and vases were being filled with black and red roses.

"This is where the Fangs-Giving Ball will take place," the Bloody Countess said. "At six o'clock sharp, the doors will open and anyone interested in coming will be most welcomed. Once the sun sets, we'll pull the curtains and get a view of the Red Moon."

"You're not worried about the possibility of any of your guests being affected by the Red Moon?" Havoc asked.

"Of course not. Our family has always been prepared in case such a thing happened, but nothing of the sort has happened. We have barrels of the vaccine medicine in our castle, so if a guest were to get affected, we'll give them their dose."

They walked to the center of the room, where two girls were busy practicing gymnastics. One girl did a series of somersaults and landed on her feet just in time for the other girl to make one giant flipping jump and land her hands on the first girl's hand. They unfolded their wings and placed them in perfect symmetry, causing their membranes to glow.

"The Bartok sisters!" Grinchelda recognized the girls from the jeerleading squad at Villains High. "Hermia, Ariel, how are you guys?"

"Grinchelda, how are you?" Ariel came to fist-bump with Grinchelda. "Sorry about Hannah. We heard she got in a coma."

Grinchelda nodded in sadness.

"The Bartok family have always come to perform at our ball," the Bloody Countess said happily. She turned to Hermia and Ariel. "I hope your sister Juliet is doing well."

"Why, did something happen to her?" Thyella asked, nearly freaking out.

"Like the Countess said, we Bartoks always before at the Fangs-Giving Ball, and five years ago we had a problem with our sister Juliet," Hermia explained. "She got affected by the Red Moon... and she made a big mess in the ballroom. Juliet managed to recover once the moon was over."

"But ever since that incident, our parents thought it would be best to never put any of their youngest kids to perform when the Red Moon shows. So yeah, this year, it's just Hermia and I," Ariel said. "Our parents and siblings are spending their Friday the 13th in a Transylvanian inn."

"Well, I am sure that you two will still be able to make a performance that will make your parents proud," the Bloody Countess said. She waved a finger and urged the group to follow her while the Bartok sisters continued to practice. "Now, about your White Emerald..."

 _Meanwhile_

Nobody in the Grimm Castle were aware that just outside the perimeter, in the dark leaves of a tree, Jacqueline Spicer and the shadow Chelsey Young were spying through Jacqueline's spyglass. They observed Thyella Shadow giving the Bloody Countess the White Emerald and locking it up in the vault located right under the grave bed of the Countess' uncle.

"Hidden under the bed of Dracula," Jacqueline muttered. "Typical. But at least we know that the vampire's chambers will be left unattended while everyone attends the ball. All we have to do is walk through the doors as open guests and while everyone is busy with the festivities, we'll sneak into the chambers."

 _Too easy_ , Chelsey said as she looked at the sky. The sun was moving closer to the west. _Vampires will smell your human odor if they're sensitive enough to notice that a human is walking in a lesser than crowded area. We'll need a diversion_.

"Well, there is the Red Moon coming tonight," Jacqueline said as she jumped down the tree. "If we're lucky enough, somebody at the party we'll be affected and let him make the mess."

 _You forget whom you're speaking to_. The shadow smirked.

 _Later, close to sunset at the Grimm Castle_

The Grimm Castle was open and people were pouring in for the open ball. Everyone from human to supernatural came in dressed in decent or elegant black party clothing and took part in the festivities. Servants brought in blood substitute and tomato juice beverages on trays, the buffet was full of anything that was garlic-proof, and everyone was either dancing, chatting, or enjoying themselves. The Bartok sisters were performing their first act by the massive curtain, during which they made jumps, twirls, and flips leaving behind trails of ice shards. Once the act was completed, the ice shards impaled on the floor formed HAPPY FANGS-GIVING. The audience applauded.

"Remind me to bring Ruby next year," Martin sighed while the group stayed together by the buffet. "I'm sure she would have loved the festivities."

Havoc unexpectedly groaned and held his head. "Is something wrong, Big Guy?" Grinchelda asked.

"Trouble. The Red Moon is coming on the Fangs-Giving Vampire Pageant..." He said.

"What's so horrible about a beauty contest for vampires?" Thyella asked. To answer her question, a passing vampire servant said: "Tis a legend that every 1300 years, only one person will be affected by the Red Moon. The Moon chooses one maiden and affects her. Naturally, tis just a legend." The waiter walked away.

"How is it trouble if only one person gets affected?" Martin asked.

"Big time bad," Grinchelda said with big eyes.

"Do you even know the consequences?" Havoc scowled.

"Take a break from vampires. We got an albino nerd alert at ten o'clock." Grinchelda grabbed Havoc's chin, made it turn, and pointed a finger up ahead. Just at the entrance of the ballroom, a redheaded albino girl in a first-class gothic dress was being flirted with by a Transylvanian vampire.

"Jacqueline Spicer?" Safír said in disdain. "What's she doing here?"

"Spicer? As in Jack Spicer, the wannabe villain?" Thyella said. "He reproduced?"  
"Trust us, Jacqueline is only 80 percent less wimpy than her dad and more dangerously cunning," Martin warned. He watched cautiously as Jacqueline slithered away to the back of the crowd that gathered towards the big window. Once the Bartok sisters were done with their performance, the Bloody Countess was giving a speech.

Martin winced and held his forehead up. "Are you OK?" Safír asked.

"I feel like I'm getting a blood rush..." Martin groaned.

"Uh oh," Grinchelda said right when the Bloody Countess declared the curtain to be pulled. The red fabric was pulled and the night sky lit by a giant red colored full moon lit the ballroom.

A scream came from the crowd. At first, the teenagers thought it was Martin, but it turned out that the scream was coming from a shadow. The shadow twisted her ghostly body towards the center of the ballroom. The crowd stepped back in fright when it looked like the shadow was melting into a black puddle that then turned into a giant black cloth covering a human body. Guards surrounded the 'body' to protect the guests. Then, the body moved and stood up.

"Finally!" The body belonged to an eighteen-year-old girl who was close to six feet tall and towering them. Her skin was of a Caucasian pale color and her long raven black hair and bangs were messy and moving like a lizard tail.

"Chelsey!" Havoc gasped.

"Yes?" The now physically Chelsey Young popped her orange reptilian eyes open and snickered. "I knew perfectly well that the Fangs-Giving Red Moon would bring me back."

"Only for thirteen hours!" Thyella thrust her hand and threw bolts of magic to act as a lasso and tie up Chelsey, who only took a second to expand her arms and turn the bolts into vapor. The hosts wasted no second and escorted all the other guests out.

"You could just admit that you'd stay a shadow forever, could you?" Havoc snapped his fingers in the hopes that the now-made-of-caramel floor would stick Chelsey in, but she walked through the substance as if she were Moses crossing the Red Sea. When she was in front of Havoc by an inch, she flicked him on the forehead and he was sent flying right onto the buffet table. The others gasped.

She merely flicked and subdued _the offspring of a spirit of chaos and disharmony!_ Chelsey was close to godly!

Their awe was the perfect distraction and Chelsey managed to snatch the Serpent's Tail off Grinchelda's neck. "Hey!" The latter gasped.

Just then, Jacqueline Spicer came from a door. The White Emerald was still in her hands.

"You were quick," Chelsey Young was surprised.

"And you're taller than I expected," Jacqueline remarked.

"Spicer," Martin scowled. "Shouldn't you be making robots in your room?"

"Nah." She pulled out a Shen Gong Wu from her pockets, the legendary Golden Tiger Claws. "By the way, thank you for leaving the other relics in unsupervised areas. I thought that collecting them would be a labor!"

"You were following us?" Thyella asked.

"More like, she was following the relics and assembling them for me," Chelsey said cruelly. "I must admit, if I had known that Jacqueline Spicer would make the job easier and faster, I would have ditched that princess brat Hannah South in the first place. _But_ I didn't, courtesy of somebody I don't like who spiked the princess' tea with a cure."

"Oh, you mean that Southern Belle with the veiled cowboy hat?" Grinchelda asked.

"Southern Belle with the veiled cowboy hat... Somebody Chelsey Young doesn't like..." Safír put the dots together. "Hannibal Bean's daughter! Hanna Koi Bean! I bet _she_ was the one who stole the Lao Mang Lone Soup and got Margo Lehnsherr to suffocate Penna unless they gave her the Reversing Mirror!" He pointed at Chelsey. "You're not really in it for global domination, are you? You're only doing this because you want to have the upper hand on Hanna in your evil game for sport!"

"I'm in no rush to cast ten thousand years of darkness into the world, but I really want to get rid of the thorn I have in my soft bush," Chelsey said. "Sadly, you won't be around to see me do it. Jacqueline?"

"Gladly. GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!" Jacqueline slashed the floor. The claws opened up a grey portal that began aspirating things in like a vacuum cleaner. Havoc got his senses awake only to realize too late that he was sucked into the vortex. Thyella and Grinchelda followed him screaming. Pieuvrella tried her best to catch them with her arms, but it only resulted in her landing into the vortex. Safír and Martin tried to use their tail and claws respectively as anchors onto the floor. Safír lost his grip and his tail gave up, causing him to fall into the vortex.

Martin continued gripping onto the floor until he felt a strong hand grabbing him by the collar. Chelsey Young was lifting him off the ground and threatening to drop him into the vortex. He looked in dread as her nose moved up and down, taking in his scent.

"Close the portal, Jacqueline," Chelsey Young ordered. Jacqueline obeyed and closed the portal. Once it was done, Chelsey dropped Martin onto the floor. "Remind me again who you are?" She asked Martin sharply.

"Martin Fiske," he said in a similar tone. "Son of Monty Fiske and Silvia Winterfields, also known as Monkey Fist and the Simian Witch."

"I can confirm those two odors. But tell me, Martin Fiske," Chelsey leaned to face him, "why do I smell my father's blood flowing in your veins?"

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Napoleon Moriarty, son of Professor Moriarty from SHERLOCK Holmes and the Bloody Countess

Hermia and Ariel Bartok, daughters of Bartok from ANASTASIA and Periwinkle from TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS.

*Next Episode: The Demigoddess Of The Underworld


	11. The Demigoddess Of The Underworld

Villains High: The Demigoddess Of The Underworld

If there's one cruise ship you should never ride on, it's the S.S. CHARON. The whole ship was made of enchanted ebony titanium and modeled to make it look like a robotic skeleton. The hull was a resting rib cage, the masts were spines, the bow was a screaming skull, the deck's planks were made out of skeleton bones glued together, and the portholes carved out of underworld gems.

Why should you not ride it? It's because it's the ship that Captain Charon uses to escort the souls of dead people into the underworld. No living being is crazy enough to ride that ship to go to certain.

Well, the only living being who had the privilege of riding S.S. CHARON in safety in the ship's sole beyond decent suite was Proserpine Pitit Fi Anfèr, the demigod daughter of Hades.

The ship arrived in the dock. Proserpine grabbed her bag and followed the other souls until the latters made way for her, evidently cringing at the presence of their new master's offspring. Proserpine merely shrugged and let a soul guard escort her to the palace of Hades. He opened the gate for her. A fifty-foot-tall, three-headed black Dalmatian with white spots shaped like flames howled upon the gate opening and bared his big teeth at them.

"Hi, Cerberus!" Proserpine said. The Underworld's chief dog guard lowered his heads and gave loud, happy dog noises as it licked Proserpine with its three big tongues. "I brought you a big mammoth bone. It's still in the S.S. CHARON..."

Cerberus wasted no time and ran crazily towards the cruise ship. Souls screamed as Cerberus sniffed until the crew brought a crane and lifted up the bone for him to chew on.

"That monster just loves it whenever you bring him presents during your weekly visits," the soul guard chuckled. They walked through the gate and past the doghouse where Cerberus stuffed all the giant chew toys that Proserpine gave him. All had giant teeth marks and stains from tsunami-sized drools.

"How's it going with the other souls?" Proserpine asked the guard.

"Eh, the usual. Fields of Asphodel, everyone whines about not making it to paradise or hell. Fields of Punishment, usual torture. Elysium Fields, they're planning on holding a jeerball game and an evening potluck for some guy who died during the Trojan War. Oh, and your neighbor? The one who died from a heart attack last Tuesday?"

"Mrs. Anaïs Trump?" Proserpine frowned. "Never liked her. Did my father send her to Tartarus?" She asked, nearly begging.

"You're gonna laugh. She accidentally fell into that Lethe Water Fountain just south from here. I never understood why souls like to sit in a fountain that they know is filled with water from the River of Forget."

Proserpine chuckled. Right when she could see her father's palace in the distance, something opened up from the underworld's ceiling. A grey portal that dropped five screaming teenagers who crash-landed onto the dead bushes of the field Proserpine and the guard were currently in. They all got up in pain (since dead bushes have no leaves) while Proserpine and the guard walked up to them.

"Hey, it's my classmates from Villains High... Finally, Principal Jekyllyde decided to organize the Underworld school field trip that my dad has always asked her about!"

"Proserpine?" Safír Dragon recognized the demigoddess. He looked at the environment and the souls that were walking in it. "The Underworld! THOSE SHE-DEMONS SENT US TO THE UNDERWORLD!"

"This... is a low point in my cultural journalism dreams," a four-armed girl sighed as she plucked a thorn out of her arm.

"You think this is bad?" A humanoid draconequus boy exclaimed as he snapped his fingers non-stop. "My chaos powers don't work in the Underworld!"

"I'm sorry, but who are you two?" Proserpine waved her finger at the former two.

"Pieuvrella," the four-armed girl said, "and this is Havoc. Who are you?"

"Proserpine."

"Oh, I get it!" Pieuvrella bowed before her.

"You're confusing me with my stepmother," Proserpine said drily.

Pieuvrella frowned at Thyella, Safír, and Grinchelda.

"Proserpine, these are our friends Havoc and Pieuvrella," Safír did the introductions. "Guys, this is Proserpine Pitit Fi Anfèr. She's one of our classmates at Villains High."

"My dad's also Hades." Proserpine shrugged casually.

"Hades had a demigod child?" Havoc was shocked. "Did the world change that much? Last time I was out, Hades and Persephone were happily married! What made him cheat on her?"

"Let's just it's a long story. So what brings you guy to the Underworld?"

"Oh, right, I forgot!" Grinchelda realized. "I heard you go see your dad down in the Underworld during the weekends!"

"Yes, and you?"

They told her the whole story. When they were done talking, the first thing that Proserpine could come up with is: "You guys are big group of doofs."

"Gee, thanks," Thyella groaned.

"I mean, why waste money and time on dispersing the Wand of Heian when you can just use the Crown of Solomon?"

"How do you know about that?" Safír asked suspiciously. To answer his question, Proserpine raised her arms and summoned a blue ball of fire. The flames cleared to show an old familiar image of Hannah South defeating Hanlin Wuya through the Xiaolin Showdown and making him harmless with the Wu.

"I was at the mall when Hannah South used the Crown of Solomon to defeat Hanlin. His magic is godly compared to the one of Chelsey, but if the Crown could reduce his magic to a quarter, it can reduce Chelsey Young's by a half."

"Of course! Pro, you're a genius!" Safír fist-bumped the demigoddess. "All we need to do is use the Crown of Solomon to do exactly what Hannah did but on Chelsey!"

"Hm, yes, great idea, but two problems," Thyella said. "One, how do we get out of here, and two, where's the crown?"

"I'm afraid that for both of them, I have to take you to see my dad," Proserpine said nervously.

 _Meanwhile, up in Transylvania_

It had been close to eleven hours since the Fangs-Giving Ball chaos. After sending the group to the Underworld, Jacqueline Spicer and the now fully fleshed Chelsey Young fled the castle. They were now in the woods and Chelsey had a hard time using her magic to glue the pieces together to fully form the Wand of Heian.

Jacqueline looked up from her laptop. "Is everything going fine?"

"What do you think?" Chelsey snapped. "I should have realized that the Red Moon wouldn't supplement me my full powers. I need to use my magic to permanent form the Wu, but my magic is weakening. If I don't get this done before sunset, I'll turn back into a shadow!"

"Gee, what an adventure you have!"

Chelsey glared at their prisoner. Martin Fiske was the only one singled out from his group. (If you remember the last chapter, Chelsey kept him aside because she caught her father's blood scent in Martin's.) Now he was chained. His fingers and toes were held by cuffs that kept them paralyzed. The only thing he could do is sit by the tree.

Chelsey looked at Jacqueline. "Did you find anything?"

"Actually, yes." Jacqueline pulled a link open on her laptop. "I did some research. It took me a while, but I ended up finding the answers in old posts from the Heylin Rockagram."

"The Heylin villains have a chat room?" Chelsey frowned. "Huh."

"Get this. I searched through the posts that date from seventeen to eighteen years ago. Back then, the Heylin used the website to archive records of past agreements, and precisely around that time, the Simian Witch and Chase Young posted a doc confirming a deal they made."

"What kind of agreement?" Chelsey asked sourly.

"Finding a mortal idiot to free you... in exchange for saving her pregnancy."

"What?" Martin and Chelsey both exclaimed.

"You realize that this sounds absurd, right?" Martin scoffed. "Why would my mother need Chase Young's help to save me?"

"The world's not about you, Fiske!" Jacqueline suddenly snapped before then calming down. "According to the doc, there's was so much inherited Mystical Monkey Power in the infant, it threatened to kill the Simian Witch if she went through the labor. Halfway before she expected her child, she freed Chase Young from the Yin-Yang world and the two went through a deal. Chase Young ripped the baby off the fetus and placed in a shell made out of his ribs for the small thing to continue its development while it hatched. The Simian Witch managed to cover during this magic transaction, and she promised to keep her hand of the bargain: selecting a mortal who would free Chelsey Young in seventeen years." She looked at Martin. "In a way, Chase Young is your bloodfather."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Martin looked he wanted to hurl.

"Ugh!" Chelsey kicked onto the nearest tree, sending it and its neighbors falling like dominos. "The moment my father gets free, he just bothers having someone else free me! And it took SEVENTEEN YEARS!"

"Dads can be very weird," Jacqueline tried reassuring her. "Heck, my dad made me albino."

"Isn't that the purpose of genetics?" Martin asked.

"No, I mean he _made_ me albino! All it took him was to reverse the functions of a tanning bed and _voilà_!" Jacqueline waved her hands up and down her body.

Chelsey stared blankly at her. "Sometimes I worry about you."

A cracking sound got their attention. They turned and saw an enormous dent growing from the jet. Then, the vehicle's metals exploded and circled around the three, melting and turning into a large spinning ring that sealed them in.

Someone laughed. They looked up and saw two figures floating down on a platform made of metal scrap. One of these figures was Margo Lehnsherr keeping her platform in place. The other...

"Hanna..." Chelsey said venomously at her foe. She grunted and fell on her knees. Like a computer glitch, her body was starting to glitch from human body to shadow and reverse.

"Howdy, old fiend," Hanna Koi Bean chuckled. She held a giant pot in her hands and threw away the lid. Chelsey was starting to have trouble breathing.

"No..."

 _Two days later, in Leidi Du Wifi's live chat_

"I'm sorry." Leidi readjusted her seat. "OK." She looked at her evening guests speakers. "So how _did_ you guys manage to stop the conflict?"

"Oh yeah." Grinchelda sat cross-legged. "We had Hades erupt us out of the ground and we used the Crown of Solomon."

 _Back to the conflict_

The ground suddenly began to shake when Hanna Koi Bean barely began to tempt Chelsey with the soup. The seismic surprise was enough to unstable Margo and the two villainesses fell back on Earth, smashing the pot full of soup. Then, a crater opened up and, like a volcano spitting anime characters, a giant burning blue demon in a pinstripe suit raised his bident and five figures in HAZMAT suits jumped on the ground. One of them held up the Crown of Solomon.

"Huh. For the first time in my life, I don't know if I should scream 'yes' or 'no'?" Chelsey commented while Hanna simply screamed.

 _Back Leidi Du Wifi's live chat_

"So, Hades gave you the Crown of Solomon?" Leidi asked.

"You'd be surprised how nice the Lord Of The Underworld was. Granted, we kind of had a delay since he nearly kept us stuck in the Underworld by offering us a barbecue." Pieuvrella looked up as a screen came down and represented a picture of Hades offering Fury sauced beef cooked on his grill. He had a big toothy smile and while Proserpine was the only one eagerly eating, the others were desperately shaking their heads. "A lesson to learn, tourists. Never trust the food services in the Underworld."

"Interesting." Leidi nodded. "And how _did_ you manage to get Hades to give you the Crown?"

Havoc shrugged as he drank the glass off his caramel float. "Well Leidi, let's just say that it's a classified Herculean task."

 _Two hours before the conflict_

Havoc kept his mouth shut. Once he stuck his scoop of poop onto the 40-foot tall ball of poop, he ran for the nearest rock and vomited.

"I can't take it! I want my powers back!" He whined.

"When Hades said that he'd have us do a Herculean task to convince him to give us the Crown, I thought it would be something inhuman," Thyella said. "It is _nothing_ compared to this!"

"Hey, Cerberus is a big dog with three heads," Proserpine passed around the hand sanitizers. "And since he has to stay in the same spot twenty-four seven and digests the triple of..."

"Don't!" Havoc puked again.

"OK, so we made a big meatball out of Cerberus' leftovers," Grinchelda asked. "Now what?"

Proserpine put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. A zombie in a loincloth arrived and Proserpine pointed the ball. The zombie groaned and started rolling the poo ball up a hill. They all watched as the zombie rolled the ball up the hill... only for it to topple down from the top and slide right into what seemed to be an endless pit. Angry hisses and 'Oh, c'mon!' shouts came from the pit.

The zombie looked unhappily at Proserpine, who merely pointed at an ordinary boulder.

"You didn't just happen to trick Sisyphus into dropping Cerberus' poop into Tartarus, did you?" Havoc asked.

"Hey, you're getting the crown and I can cross of tormenting the criminals from deeper levels," Proserpine shrugged. "Everyone's happy."

"WE AREN'T!" Voices shouted from the pit.

"NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION, YOU TITANIC DOOFS!"

"Well that ship has sunk," Safír remarked.

 _Back to the live chat_

"Saving the world is hard..." Martin admitted calmly before being pissed. "Don't make me do it again!"

"And there you have it, folks! Let's thank our guest stars and let me thank you for watching VILLAINIUM LIVE, where gossips and truths are exposed in the open! I'm Leidi Du Wifi and the chapter ends tonight!"

The hostess and the guest stars did their curtsies while the audience gave them a standing ovation, which had not been expected by the scriptwriters. The teens went to the back and enjoyed some energy smoothies in the green room.

"Boy, am I glad this is all over!" Martin sighed in relief. "Summer vacation at last!"

"Get ready for the news, mates!" Pieuvrella raised her glass. "I called my folks. They're good with me transferring to Villains High!"

"Really? That's great!" Grinchelda threw her smoothie in the air to tackle Pieuvrella with a hug. The latter used one of her arms to catch the glass with the smoothie going right in it.

"Eh, the catacombs are boring. I might as well tag along as well." Havoc crunched his smoothie glass and tossed it into the air. It dissolved into a herd of pink berry butterflies flying backwards.

"There's still one thing I don't get," Leidi said. "What exactly happened to Margo, Hanna, Jacqueline, and Chelsey?"

"Margo and Jacqueline are stuck going to a summer juvenile camp to 'clear their sins'," Martin said. He then chuckled: "As for Hanna and Chelsey, let's just say that we used the Crown of Solomon to give them a new life."

 _Meanwhile, in the Villains High cafeteria_

"Make sure you get them floors, clean!" The janitor shouted from his megaphone. Hanna Koi Bean and Chelsey Young glared at him while clutching their mops. "Otherwise, you'll spend the rest of your summer cleaning the rest of the school."

Hanna grunted. Chelsey dunked her mop in the bucket.

"Fully fleshed but only half of our powers remain... and we're stuck with summer janitor duty!" Chelsey said bitterly. "And Jacqueline will probably lose her mind in camp!"

"You'd be surprised how the mighty always fall in this place," a voice said. The girls looked at their right. Hanlin Wuya was sliding on his tiptoes as if the wet floor was an ice-skating rink and the mop his skating partner.

"Easy for you to say," Hanna snorted. "You used to be a godly Heylin Witch. Now you are nothing but a detention boy with only a quarter of your powers."

"And it has done me jolly good."

"You seem oddly happy about your loss," Chelsey arched an eyebrow.

"Naturally, ladies!" Hanlin slipped and pushed the girls towards the hallway so that they could avoid the janitor's attention. "We are in a school of villains and antiheroes, after all. It's only natural that the more new students come, the worse things get. Every new thing brings bigger tragedies. I might have lost my powers, but in the end, I got my satisfaction by watching Hannah South nearly meeting her death in a most humiliating fashion."

"So what you're saying is that in every failure, you find satisfaction," Chelsey was having trouble buying his point.

"This season's over, but a new one begins. More rotten souls will walk through the school's front door, and the pressure they put will crush our enemies. Keep in the shadows... and watch with satisfaction as they all destroy one another. In the end, we will be the only villains left to walk the surface."

For the first time in their eternal lives, Chelsey Young and Hanna Koi Bean agreed with sinister smiles.

*End Of Episode*

*Characters Introduced:

Proserpine Pitit Fi Anfèr, daughter of Hades from Greek mythology

Hanna Koi Bean, daughter of Hannibal Roy Bean from XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN

Leidi Du Wifi, daughter of Lady Wifi from MIRACULOUS: TALES OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR

*Next Episode (and last one for Villains High: The Second Sin): Salemnity Boys' I Am Wicked Number


	12. Salemnity Boys' I Am Wicked Number

Villains High: Salemnity Boys' I Am Wicked Number

 **Presenting a rare Vile-tube hit.**

 **Salemnity Boys. I Am Wicked.**

 **This is a Vile-tube video only. It is not CD reproduced.**

Thunder booms and grey clouds cover the sky acting as a dome for the black castle. Five windows open up, leading to five different areas in the domain. A shirtless Solemnity Boy in a black leather trench jacket occupies each area.

Martin is slouching on the throne in the empty dark throneroom. Sean is walking through a Hall of Mirrors, only the floor's completely covered in glass shards. Xaos is hitting a drum set by a window in a ballroom with ripped gossamer curtains. Sirenius is lying on a folding chair by the outdoor pool while a dead dolphin floats in the water. As for Airius, he's smoking cigarettes on the kitchen counter.

Cue to the music and the boys dancing in their respective areas.

Martin: _You know I'm cruel_

 _But for you, I would change the rule._

Sean: _I hate society._

 _I'm as bad as Hades._

Together: _But now that I have your loyalty,_

 _I can throw as much shades._

Xaos: _Chick, ya make me wild._

Airius: _Aren't you already?_

Xaos: _Shut up, child!_

Sirenius: _You make me just as evil ready._

Together: _If love does lead to a dark path,_

 _I'd go with you. It's the perfect evil math!_

All Salemnity Boys (with Martin at the lead):

 _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

 _I make my heart black gold hard that only you can steal!_

 _With you, the world is just a big third wheel!_

 _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

Martin: _You make me evil._

Salemnity Boys: _Na, na, na, na!_

Sirenius: _Don't need to be civil._

Salemnity Boys: _Na, na, na, na!_

Xaos: _Yo, it's what I love about you._

Salemnity Boys: _Na, na, na, na!_

Sean: _You make me bad, I'd give others the flu._

Salemnity Boys: _Na, na, na, na!_

Airius: _Yes, I am wicked_

Salemnity Boys: _'Cause you made me addicted!_

All Salemnity Boys (with Martin at the lead):

 _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

 _I make my heart black gold hard that only you can steal!_

 _With you, the world is just a big third wheel!_

 _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

The Salemnity Boys lie down in their respective spots. Soon, each starts disintegrating and flying away with the wind coming from the windows. A sinister echo of 'I am wicked' rings through the castle walls.

 **End of Music Video**

*End of Episode*

*End of VILLAINS HIGH: THE SECOND SIN*

(Coming up soon, hopefully, in the future: VILLAINS HIGH: THE THIRD WHEEL)

 **Note from Author: Hello, beloved readers!**

 **I can't believe I am close to writing my 18th story with VILLAINS HIGH: THE THIRD WHEEL! Isn't this exciting?**

 **I'm also writing this note because I would like your public opinion. Along with writing my next VH Fanfiction story, I'm trying to decide what story to write next. I have three ideas at the moment. Do let me know which one you think sounds more exciting.**

 **Strange Wedding For Auradon Prep:** a Descendants x Strange Magic crossover story (and my last for Descendants). Set months after the events of PRIDE GAMES AT AURADON PREP, Penna De Mort and Marius Bogfae prepare for their wedding and Penna's ascension as Fae Realm Queen Consort. If the pressures of being the royal fiancée aren't enough, Penna must face the enemies of Marius' kingdom who threaten her final steps towards her happily ever after.

 **Avengers: Into The Limbo Realm:** An Avengers story and a sequel to AVENGERS: ANUBIS AMONG US. Set after the events of Infinity War, the remaining heroes must go to the Limbo Realm to free their friends who have been sent there, courtesy of Thanos' finger snap.

 **Freedominator:** A Captain America x Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug And Chat Noir crossover story set between Anubis Among Us and Infinity. Captain America, Aaricia, Kory Ikolson, Bacchus, and Maui go to Paris to recruit the help of the descendants of Fortuna and Discordia for the upcoming arrival of Thanos' forces. Plans get delayed when Hawk Moth manages to akumatize Steve. The now corrupted Captain America becomes Freedominator, a supervillain bent on giving every citizen the freedoms they deserve. With the risk of Paris plunging into chaos, the demigods and Aaricia team up with Fortuna and Discordia's legacies, Ladybug and Chat Noir. But how can they stop Freedominator when the akuma is in the most powerful metal known to man?


End file.
